On December 4th, the Saint Nazaire offshore wind farm in western France, managed by EDF Renouvelables, reported the discovery of “anomalies in the parameters of a power transformer in the offshore substation” during routine checks. According to the statement released via X (formerly Twitter), electrical equipment was halted on the evening of Friday, December 1st, for inspection. The transformer shutdown will facilitate inspections and necessary operations with the manufacturer. The transformer’s shutdown will lead to the de-energization of all wind turbine blades in the park for an estimated two weeks. The involved transformer receives energy produced by the blades at 33,000 volts and elevates it to 225,000 volts, the voltage of the national grid. Without this transformer, the wind farm cannot operate.
The Saint-Nazaire wind farm, operational since November 2022, consists of 80 offshore wind turbines located 12 km off the coast of Loira Atlantica. The resulting renewable energy is a total of 480 MW, covering 20% of Loira Atlantica’s electricity consumption, equivalent to up to 700,000 people.
Since 2009, Sea Marconi has been supporting EDF by providing asset & risk management services through analysis, diagnosis, and prognosis of the health status of electrical equipment with insulating fluids (Life Cycle Management). EDF has acknowledged Sea Marconi’s high technical expertise, reaffirming trust through various multi-year contract renewals. In response to the aforementioned statement, Sea Marconi is committed to responding to the client in emergency situations (including Sundays), providing analytical results and diagnoses identifying possible causes of anomalies (“pathologies”) in a few hours and promptly suggesting appropriate actions from a loss prevention and environmental protection perspective.
Saint-Nazaire : Les 80 éoliennes en mer totalement à l’arrêt après des anomalies (msn.com)
