BREST (France) - 20/07/2011 - 3B Conseils - Original Articles by Francis Rousseau and Brigitte Bornemannopen, editted and translated by Christopher Longmore.As we had been led to expect, part of the OpenHydro tidal turbine that is to join the EDF test site at Paimpol-Brehat at the beginning of August arrived on the 18th July at Brest commercial harbour, transported by Filia Ariea from Greenore, north of Dublin.
The unit, accompanied by a technician seconded from OpenHydro, is the turbine weighing 110 tonnes and of 16 metres diameter of the tidal turbine that DCNS is going to start assembling after transport to the Basin 9 of the naval harbur by the barge "Le Ter". To-day the Le Ter is going to make another trip laden with other tidal turbine components. Delivery of the OpenHydro tidal turbine to the Brest site started on 21 June 2011 with four elements of the base manufactured in the workshops of Construction métallique et préfabrication (CMP) in Dunkirk and transported on the cargo ship Beaumare.
OpenHydro got the order for four tidal turbines each of 500Kw that are to enter service in 2012 at the first French EDF using the tidal currents at Paimpol-Bréhat, Côtes d'Armor, Brittany. Initially the project was for a total of 10 tidal turbines to be in place in 2011. The four OpenHydro units eventually ordered for the current revised project, partly built in Ireland, will be assembled by DCNS in Brest, either in the naval base or at a site in the commercial port. The decision will be taken before the end of the year. The first tidal turbine is currently being assembled in Basin 9 of the navla harbour is planned to leave there at the end of August bound for the Horaine site off Bréhat where it will be submerged until Octobre 2011 for a series of tests in full operational conditions. The objective et in 2008 has therefore been respected L'objectif fixé en 2008 est donc given that an OpenHydro will indeed be oerational in 2011.
The unloading of the various components of this first tidal turbine has been possible thansk to the help from varioous partners in the Port of Brest at the request of Blue Water Shipping. These include CCI Brest, Atlantic Docks Stevdoring (ADS) - Port de Brest and Manuport Brest.
According to a DCNS Communiqué, Jean-Yves Le Drian, president of the Britanny region came to view the turbine for himself and was able to see, when visiting the DCNS site, that the region has fulfilled its commitments. The President of the region said "Brest is postionning itself to be THE port for the French marine renwables industry. Brittany is mobilised to give an example nationally, and this is the first step that we are taking here in brest to-day". He also drew attention to the role of the Regional Council, and also that of businesses like EDF and DCNS in the creation of the marine renewables sector.
Brest City Council (BMO) is particularly involved in the domain of marine renewables, notably in its activities via SMBI (Syndicat Mixte Brest Iroise), the four partners of whch are the Brittany Regional Council, the General Council of Finistere, the Chamber of Commerce of Brest and BMO is already active politically to make Brest the Brittany port for marine renewables.
On July 19th, another important visit was that of the president of the GIEC (group of inter-governmental experts on the evolution of climate) Dr Rajendra K. Pachauri, accompanied by Serge Lepeltier, the French ambassador responsible for climate change negotiations at the UN. He came to view the tidal turbine at the DCNS site and to view the assembly operations. He was in Brest on the occasion of the holding of the annual working group meeting of the GEIC, co-presided by Thomas STOCKER, Qin DAHE, and Jean JOUZEL vice-président du GIEC.
Sources : sites linked and quoted. Photo 1 : Turbine Open hydro © Ouest France. 2 : Hydrolienne Open Hydro©open Hydro
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