Bureau Veritas’ certification supports the advance of Provence Grand Large

In 2017, BV was appointed for the certification of the PGL floating offshore wind (FOW) pilot project. Since then, BV has been supporting this innovative marine renewable energy project, which is conducted by EDF Renouvelables in partnership with Canadian energy company Enbridge Inc. This project’s ongoing success is further demonstration of the technical viability of floating offshore wind energy.

What is the PGL pilot project about?

PGL will see three floating wind turbines installed 17 kilometers off the coast of the commune of Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône in the south of France. Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) supplied the turbines, whose nominal power is eight megawatts (MW) each. The turbines will be mounted on a floating tension-leg technology conceived and developed by SBM Offshore in collaboration with IFP Energies Nouvelles (IFPEN). The installation of the turbines on these platforms is planned for summer 2023.

Fixed turbines currently furnish nearly all offshore wind power in Europe, but floating wind energy is expected to rise from 176 MW in 2023 to 3-4 gigawatts (GW) in 2030. PGL will begin contributing 24 MW to this growth when its turbines are put in service in 2024.

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BV is following the IEC 61400-22 certification scheme, and currently following-up on the manufacturing, transportation and installation surveillance stage. The next certification stage will see BV confirming that the turbines are ready for energy production.

Scaling up FOWT to meet energy goals

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the global total installed offshore wind capacity will rise from 81.8 GW in 2023 to 186.8 GW in 2027. China leads this growth, followed by the European Union.

Challenges to scaling up floating wind energy production include their cost — 1.5 to 4 times higher than that of onshore turbines. Advancing float-and-anchor technology to lower costs and increase weather resistance and material durability will help countries reach their floating wind energy goals.

"BV is proud to work on the pioneering PGL installation and help demonstrate that FOW turbine technology is safe and dependable,” said Amine Zoheir Belkhir, BV’s inspector at the yard. “Through our work on such projects, BV is shaping trust in these technologies, and that will be instrumental in helping scale up offshore renewables. Furthermore, this rewarding collaboration between EDF Renouvelables, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, SBM Offshore and Prysmian illustrates how collaboration can drive progress in the global energy transition.”