Final turbine installed at Chaintrix-Bierges and Vélye Wind Farm in France

Turbine commissioning begins following latest construction milestone at Southern Europe site

Less than a year since SSE broke ground on the project, SSE is celebrating the safe and successful installation of the final onshore turbine at the 28MW Chaintrix-Bierges and Vélye Wind Farm in France.

Turbine installation began this summer and has been delivered on schedule. This latest milestone for the SSE Renewables project comes a few weeks after the installation of the first turbine at the construction site in the country’s Grand-Est region (Marne).

Construction completion of the final turbine by SSE Renewables at the site follows close collaboration with expert technicians from turbine manufacturer Siemens Gamesa, which supplied and safely installed each of the eight SG 3.4-132 MW units at the wind farm.

Commissioning and testing of turbines will now commence and continue until the site becomes fully operational, which is expected by the end of 2024.

The Chaintrix-Bierges and Vélye project is SSE’s first onshore wind farm in construction in France. It is also the first of the company’s projects to enter construction outside the company’s core UK and Ireland market.

Delphine Henri, France Director of SSE Renewables, said:

“We’re truly delighted to be celebrating the safe, successful and on schedule completion of turbine installation at our Chaintrix-Bierges and Vélye wind farm project. This demonstrates the great progress we’re making on the delivery of the project and we’re on track to complete and enter generation operation by the end of the year.

“Successfully reaching this milestone is due to the excellent teamwork and collaboration from everyone involved in the project’s delivery. Particular thanks go to turbine supplier Siemens Gamesa along with our lead contractor Omexom in partnership with Civils contractor Pothelet, as well as to other supply chain partners Vodafone, Dekra, Elys, Groupe Geotec, and Auddicé.

“We would also like to thank local residents, the elected representatives and the wider community for their support to our project team while we undertook construction at site. It is a real example of how we have successfully collaborated with the supply chain and with local stakeholders to help deliver what will be France’s newest renewable energy site.”

When complete, the Chaintrix-Bierges and Vélye wind farm will be capable of generating enough low-carbon energy over its expected 30-year lifetime to power over 14,000 homes annually*.

Delivery of the wind farm represents a total capital investment of more than €30 million by SSE Renewables. This investment is supporting the local economy in the Grand-Est region, with around 80 construction roles supported at peak delivery.