Offshore wind: AREVA deploys its industrial plan to produce a 100% French wind power technology

To coincide with the opening of AREVA's first offices in Le Havre, Luc Oursel presented the progress made with AREVA's industrial plan to produce a 100% French wind turbine in the Haute-Normandie region.

Since Iberdrola and Eole RES were chosen to develop the wind farm site in the bay of Saint-Brieuc in April 2012 and AREVA technology was selected to supply 100 5MW wind turbines, the group has been working on the construction of two plants to manufacture nacelles and blades in Le Havre.

AREVA is mobilizing its suppliers of key components such as Moventas, NTN SNR, Fouré Lagadec, ABB and Plastinov, who are ready to set up activities close to the group's plants on the Quai Joannès Couvert. This genuine industrial ecosystem being built up around AREVA's offshore wind power activity will make it possible to create more than 750 jobs and provide a structured and competitive French offer for export markets.

In addition to this, the group is also establishing numerous partnerships with small-to-medium-sized businesses in Normandy and Brittany, which will enable AREVA to provide wind power entirely produced in France.

The AREVA team in Le Havre is being further strengthened with the appointment of Plant, Purchasing and Training/HR project managers and the creation of a research & development unit. 

On the strength of its tried-and-tested technology with a track record of 3 years of operation in the North Sea, AREVA has all the right assets at its disposal to enable it to win contracts for additional offshore wind farms in forthcoming calls-for-tender in France and abroad.

Luc Oursel, CEO of AREVA, declared that "by deploying a robust industrial plan in Haute-Normandie, which opens up a wealth of business opportunities both in France and in the South of the UK or in Belgium, AREVA is making an active contribution to the reindustria-liza­tion of the regions in which we are present and to the export of our energy know-how".