EDF Delays Commercial Commissioning of Calvados Offshore Wind Farm to Late 2027

French energy major EDF has announced that the commercial commissioning of the Calvados offshore wind farm has been pushed back to late 2027. This will see the project commissioned more than two years after its original schedule, which was set for start-up in 2025.

The delay is attributed to issues faced while developing a new drilling tool for the project. Tests of a drilling system designed specifically for the site are incomplete, and Saipem, the company in charge of installing the monopiles, will resume installation in August once final internal certification for the tool is granted.

The equipment in question is a high-capacity drill intended to secure monopiles in a calcareous seabed between 20 and 31 meters deep. Despite the delay, EDF reassured that the construction site delay is not linked to the nature of the seabed, as soil conditions were in line with geophysical and geotechnical studies.

Saipem had previously encountered drilling issues in January, citing soil problems that slowed down the installation of the 64 monopiles for the wind farm. The Italian contractor later resolved the issue but was halted due to EDF’s drilling tool development.

In 2023, the offshore electrical substation was successfully installed and connected to the onshore electricity grid by Chantiers de l’Atlantique and Deme. The wind farm, with a capacity of 450MW, is expected to cover the equivalent of the domestic electricity consumption of over 630,000 people. PPA and grid-connection contracts with transmission operator RTE remain unchanged.