DEME Offshore and Herrenknecht sign agreement for fabrication of a subsea drill for XL-monopile installation at Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm

DEME Offshore and Herrenknecht have signed an agreement for the fabrication of a subsea drill to be deployed at the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm in France. This is the first wind farm in the world to use drilled XL-monopile foundations.

In 2019, a consortium including DEME Offshore and Eiffage Métal was awarded the EPCI contract for 80 foundations for the French wind farm. The scope includes the design, fabrication, transportation and installation of the steel foundations.

The 480 MW Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm, owned by EDF Renewables and Enbridge, will be located between 12 km and 20 km off the coast of the Guérande peninsula in western France.

The XL-monopile foundations have to be installed on a difficult rocky seabed. DEME Offshore and Herrenknecht, the global leader in tunnel boring machines, are fabricating an innovative tailormade subsea drill specifically for the project. The subsea drill will be deployed from DEME Offshore’s installation vessel ‘Innovation’.

“Installing drilled XL-monopiles is a new step forward in the offshore wind industry,” says Bart De Poorter, General Manager DEME Offshore. “With this innovative solution, developed in partnership with Herrenknecht, we ensure that the installation is performed safely and efficiently in challenging marine conditions.”

“The Offshore Foundation Drilling (OFD) enables mechanised installation of monopiles, thus providing ecological and economic advantages compared to conventional methods”, says Ulrich Schaffhauser, Member of the Board of Management of Herrenknecht AG. “We are proud, that DEME relies on Herrenknecht’s solution, expertise and know-how in the field of excavation technology. The project teams of DEME and Herrenknecht cooperated very well, now we all are looking forward to project realisation.”

DEME is a world leader in the highly specialised fields of dredging, marine engineering and environmental remediation. The company can build on more than 140 years of know-how and experience and has fostered a pioneering approach throughout its history, being a front runner in innovation and new technologies.

DEME’s vision is to work towards a sustainable future by offering solutions for global challenges: a rising sea level, a growing population, reduction of CO2 emissions, polluted rivers and soils and the scarcity of natural resources. Although DEME’s activities originated with the core dredging business, the portfolio diversified substantially over the decades, including dredging and land reclamation, solutions for the offshore energy market, infra marine solutions and environmental solutions.

While the company’s roots are in Belgium, DEME has built a strong presence in all of the world’s seas and continents, operating in more than 90 countries worldwide. DEME can rely on 5,200 highly skilled professionals across the globe. With a versatile and modern fleet of over 100 vessels, backed by a broad range of auxiliary equipment, the company can provide solutions for even the most complex projects.