Principle Power has been awarded the operations and maintenance support contract for the floating foundations at the 30 MW Éoliennes Flottantes du Golfe du Lion project in France.
The EFGL floating offshore wind farm is operated by Ocean Winds in partnership with Banque des Territoires. It includes three WindFloat foundations supporting three Vestas V164-10 MW turbines in the French Mediterranean.
The contract covers integrated O&M services for the floating foundations, including inspection, maintenance and repair, remote monitoring, data analytics and engineering support.
Floating foundation O&M support
Principle Power will use its Asset Hub application to support remote, real-time monitoring and automated operational insights for the project owner.
Day-to-day operations will be handled from the project’s O&M base at Port-La Nouvelle in Occitanie, southern France. Ocean Winds employs local workers for maintenance of the platforms and ancillary equipment, including anchor lines and inter-array cables, alongside Vestas for turbine inspection and maintenance.
Principle Power said it has expanded its O&M team to support the project locally, strengthening its presence in France.
“This contract constitutes a strategic asset for EFGL and strengthens the long-standing relationship between Ocean Winds and Principle Power,” said Jeremy de Barbarin, Project Director of EFGL at Ocean Winds.
“Principle Power will deploy their proven expertise in floating foundation technologies to assist the Ocean Winds team in maximizing system availability, reliability, and efficiency.”
WindFloat experience from operating projects
The EFGL contract builds on Principle Power’s previous work during the project’s design, construction and commissioning phases.
The company has developed operating experience across three floating wind projects: the 2 MW WindFloat 1, the 25 MW WindFloat Atlantic and the 50 MW Kincardine Offshore Wind Farm.
With EFGL, Principle Power now has 105 MW of deployed capacity using WindFloat foundations. The company says its operating projects have delivered more than 1 TWh of energy to the grid.
“This award builds on Principle Power’s operating track record in floating wind and reinforces our role as a provider of integrated O&M support and services,” said Clara de Moura Santos, Vice President of Operation & Maintenance at Principle Power.
“Now, the project’s operational learnings will help inform the fourth generation, fully industrialized WindFloat technologies.”
EFGL supports commercial floating wind scale-up
The EFGL pilot project consists of three 10 MW floating wind turbines located more than 16 km off Leucate and Le Barcarès in southern France. It is expected to operate for 20 years.
Ocean Winds said in July that EFGL had reached full power and would generate around 110,000 MWh of electricity per year, enough to power the equivalent of around 50,000 inhabitants annually.
The project is intended to help pave the way for larger floating wind developments, including the 250 MW Eoliennes Flottantes d’Occitanie project awarded to Ocean Winds and Banque des Territoires in late 2024.
More information is available from Principle Power and Ocean Winds.
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FAQs
What contract has Principle Power won?
Principle Power has won the operations and maintenance support contract for the three WindFloat foundations at the EFGL floating offshore wind project in France.
Who operates the EFGL project?
EFGL is operated by Ocean Winds in partnership with Banque des Territoires.
How large is the EFGL floating wind farm?
The project has three 10 MW turbines, giving it a total capacity of 30 MW.
Where is EFGL located?
EFGL is located more than 16 km off Leucate and Le Barcarès in the French Mediterranean.
