BORDEAUX - (France) - 22/06/2011 - 3B Conseils & Marine Renewable Energy Ltd
By Francis Rousseau - translated from the original French by Christopher Longmore
Le Grand Port Maritime de Bordeaux (GPMB) wants to promote the Verdon area in the offshore wind power sector. An article published recently in Mer et Marine.com makes aboslutely clear GPMB's wish to develop its Verdon port terminal with the introduction of the industrial activities needing to be close to port infrastructure, code for building off-shore wind generators. GPMB claims to be "absolutely able to welcome all the production phases of latest generation onshore and offshore wind turbines (manufacture, assembly, and export) " on its land and adds that it can also "offer a site particularly well adapted to tests and trials of all kinds. The prospect of creating a Zone de Developpement Eolien (ZDE) (Offshore windpower development zone) is a powerful argument, reinforcing the attractions of the region for the emergence of a new sphere of activity." GPMB is also a member of the "Cluster Eolien Aquitain" (Aquitane Offshore Windpower Cluster.) (Site in French only),
The Cluster was founded in 2010 at the instigation of the President of the region, Alain Rousset. Like all clusters, it brings together private and public sector participants working in the offshore wind power sector in the Aquitane region, and unites the complemenetary skills of local agencies, industrial and state organisations. Supported by the Aquitaine Region and the Communauté Urbaine de Bordeaux (Site in French only), the cluster puts in contact leading edge companies in the domaine of energy stockage, aerospace/defence, and composite materials with R & D laboratories of world renown. The leading companies in the offshore wind turbine industry contribure their knowledge of the market and customer requirements. If you actually look at the detail, there is no doubt that a favourable industrial concentration absolutely exists with companies like
- Valorem the pioneers of French offshore wind power since 1994. Having developed and built numerous onshore power projects they are also well placed to move into offshore.
- Plastinov, specialises in the study, development, and launch of objects made of composites.
- Lectra, involved in the manufacture of wind turbine blades,
- Epsilon Composite, world leader in pultrusion of carbon fibre, and above all the French aerospace giant,
- EADS.
Since 2008, EADS, via Eurocopter UK and the EC135, has the contract for the maintenance, personnel and materials transport for the British Greater Gabbard offshore wind farm - one of the biggest in the world, and due to be completed in 2012. It is above all the EADS Astrium divison that is of particular interest to us. They are European No.1 and global no. 3 in the aerospace industry, uncontested world leaders in space transport, satellite systems and other space services, and have made a clear decision to bring to bear the quality requirements and experience earned from 40 years of aeronautical sector to the manufacture of the manudacture of wind turbine blades. At the end of 2010 , Valérie Cazes, director of equipment and services declared in an interview published in the Financial Times Deutschland (and taken up by Reuters): " We want to be the number one in the manufacture of wind turbine blades in France, and, why not, throughout Europe.... We are thinking of course of exporting to Germany as well.".
Since then EADS Astrium has taken ordrs from AREVA Wind (view the technical film of the Areva M5000 offshore turbine) and the Groupe Vergnet. The Cluster Eolien Aquitain therefore absolutely has sufficient industrial means to achieve its lofty ambitions. Adding to the potential of this already impressive skills list is a number of new development projects based on the excellence theme are already under way locally to meet the needs of a contstantly changing sector. Alongside MIB (Materials and Systems Institute of Bordeaux),called the Institut Carnot, and INRIA Bordeaux-Sud-Ouest, various laboratories are developing skills recognised for many years in civil engineering, acoustics, machanical and energy engineering, modelling and manufacture of materials, captors, microsystems, signals analysis, polymers and composites...Companies like Rescoll, a private company specialising in technical innovation particularly in polymers and Nobatek (innovatory products and processes in the durable construction industry) or even the plateforme d’innovation Canoe ((French only) (nanostructure materialss) brin and technical capacity liekly to develop new pruducts and processes.
Confident in the support potential of the powerful industrial and scentific network of the Cluster Eolien Aquitain, and of the results of a research study into the creation of new industrial and logistical activiities in the port of Bordeaux entrusted to Ernst & Young, (deliverd on 05/05/2011), le Grand Port Maritime de Bordeaux (GPMB) therefore decided to call for applications for five land concessions on the Verdon site. One of them is in the freeport area, for industrial projects of one or more operators. A trial one of 100 ha. of which 14 are of immediate use could also be made available for the installation of prototypes. Representatives of the port underlined in their statement that " the Verdon deepwater terminal, equipped with a ramp for roll-rolloff ships and having pre-storage and storage spaces situated immediately behind the unloading area represents a highly efficient port infrastructure, capable of meeting the logistical needs of the wind turbine industry, particularly those offshore forecast for France and Europe at large. Industrial synergy with the Bordeaux Blanquefort Eco Park (French only) and the Grattaquina port site that has invested €20 million to build a new port terminal that allows the the loading of vey large structures".
Candidates have until 15 September to present their proposals, with selection of the chosen no later than 15 November. The GPMB then expects to sign a 3 year reservation contract with the selected candidate "for an industrial project able to generate marine traffic and enhance the Verdon industrial port area, integrating the different environmental issues of the site". This is a strategic decision with regard to the as-yet non-existent French and foreign offshore wind farm projects that seems to offer an excellent development opportunity in the medium and long term for this major South West European port.
Between 500 and 1000 direct and indirect jobs could be created by the site.
NB : The President of Cluster éolien Aquitain, founded in December 2010, is Jean-Yves Grandidier, MD de Valorem
Sources : Sites linked and cited. Photo 1 : Verdon Site © GPMB. 2: Sites Plan © Cluster Eolien Aquitain 3: Turbine blades © EADS Astrium . 4 Offshore turbine © AREVA Wind 5: Schema of the Verdon Zone © GPMB 6: Worker at an offshore wind farm © AREVA Wind
The partial or total reproduction by any person physical or corporate on any media of the documents and information placed on-line in this blog without the prior written permisison of 3B Conseils and the citation of the source of that information, its date, and authors is strictly forbidden and will result in immediate legal action.
No comments:
Post a Comment