France’s grid operator RTE has signed a contract with Chantiers de l’Atlantique for the deliver of a substation for the Dunkirk offshore wind project.

The contract is for the design, construction, assembly and installation of an alternating current (AC) electrical offshore platform that will transport power from EDF Renewables and Enbridge’s 600MW offshore wind farm off north-east France.

The contract for the engineering, procurement, construction and installation contracts (EPCI) for the offshore electrical substation and its foundations is valued at €320m.

All the essential components of this offshore platform will be manufactured in France and will generate economic activity in the regions they will be produced.

In particular, the assembly of the topside will be carried out in Saint-Nazaire while the foundation will be manufactured in Fos-sur-Mer.

Other suppliers in France will also be called upon in the later phases of the project.

Over the next few weeks, RTE will finalise the contract for the supply of underground and submarine cables which will complete the infrastructure required to connect the Dunkirk project.