Bureau Veritas’s expertise in offshore wind farms reaffirmed with EolMed project certification
01/04/2021
Bureau Veritas (BV), a world leader in testing, inspection and certification, has been awarded project certification for EolMed, an offshore wind farm pilot project in France developed by Qair and involving Total, Ideol and Vestas Wind Systems A/S.Located in the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Gruissan in the Aude region, EolMed is one of four floating pilot farms under development in France. It will consist of three Vestas V164-10 MW wind turbines, which will have a total capacity of 30 MW and will be able to meet the energy needs of 50,000 people. The wind turbines will be installed on floating foundations more than 18 km from the shore and anchored at an average depth of 60 m.
The square-shaped floating foundations with a central opening have been manufactured to Ideol’s patented Damping Pool® design, which reduces swell impact. The wind turbine is fixed at the back of the floater.
Bureau Veritas will provide technical expertise and assessment of the floating foundations, their mooring system and the dynamic sections of the inter-array cables. The Bureau Veritas certification process will encompass:
- The design specifications, including a review of applicable standards and appropriate design methodologies;
- Integrated load analysis, covering an assessment of the aero-hydro coupled loads with an independent model; and
- Design evaluation, with a review of analysis reports, structural drawings and specifications. Bureau Veritas will also perform independent strength and fatigue analysis.
Jérôme Billerey, General Director of Qair France, stated: “EolMed is very pleased to entrust the floating wind farm design certification to Bureau Veritas. This certification will ensure project reliability and sustainability, a critical step for offshore renewable energy development in Occitanie and worldwide.”
Bureau Veritas has been active for more than 15 years in offshore marine renewables and over 20 years in the offshore wind industry. Its experience includes type certification of wind turbines, project and substation certification for offshore wind farms, regulatory control of lifting equipment and electrical installations, manufacturing surveillance of wind turbine components and on-site inspection of blades and gearboxes.
https://marine-offshore.bureauveritas.com
