EDF Energies Nouvelles becomes the leader in the operation and maintenance of renewable energy plants in France

At the end of 2013, the operation and maintenance activity of EDF Energies Nouvelles included:

• More than 1,000 employees worldwide including 434 in Europe;
• Nearly 500 wind turbine installations (land and sea) And solar (roof and ground) including 352 in Europe.
• A network of operation-maintenance centers:
  • in Europe : France, Greece, United Kingdom, Poland and Germany (in Belgium and Italy: structures being created);
  • in North America : United States, Canada and Mexico.
• Two supervision centers :
  • In France in Colombiers (Hérault) for all European parks ;
  • in the USA in San Diego, (California), for parks located in North America.
• Worldwide, more than 9 GW of managed capacity, including 1.4 GW in France.

The operation and maintenance of parks: a growing activity, creating long-term jobs

In France, just over 200 EDF EN Services employees, including 150 experts and technicians, currently ensure the operation and maintenance of more than 300 wind and solar installations, half belonging to EDF Energies Nouvelles, the other half to third parties .

In 2013, EDF EN Services increased its workforce by almost 40 % in France, due to the growth of the EDF Energies Nouvelles group's portfolio of wind farms linked in particular to the acquisition of 35 wind farms from Séchilienne Sidec and Iberdrola.

To ensure responsiveness and quality service, EDF EN Services opens operation and maintenance centers as close as possible to the installations. Seven additional centers were opened in 2013, bringing the network to 18 centers.

More globally, in Europe and North America, between the end of 2011 and the end of 2013, the operation-maintenance activity of EDF Energies Nouvelles saw its workforce increase by nearly 45%, bringing it to more than 1,000 employees.

A profession of the future: operations and maintenance technician

Since its creation for the European market in 2009, EDF EN Services has benefited, for the development of its activity, from the expertise of EDF Renewable Services, a subsidiary of EDF Energies Nouvelles dedicated to operation and maintenance in the United States. , which has more than 25 years of experience in this field and manages, at the end of 2013, a portfolio of 7.4 GW of installations in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

The operation and maintenance business focused, for three-quarters of the activity, on wind power, the most developed technology. Most of the recently recruited technicians come from technical training (electrical, mechanical or automation) of the BTS type, with significant experience in wind power. Their mission is to monitor the performance of power plants and equipment and to ensure optimal production through preventive and corrective maintenance field operations.

In Europe, each local branch is attached to the fleet supervision center, created in 2009 in Colombiers, in Hérault, where 30 experts, engineers and technicians ensure continuous monitoring of performance remotely (24 hours a day – 7 days a week ).

Development prospects for the profession: offshore wind power

The development of new wind farm projects off the French coast will involve the creation of around a hundred jobs to ensure the operation and maintenance of each farm. The future wind farms of Courseulles-sur-Mer, Fécamp and Saint-Nazaire developed by EDF Energies Nouvelles will create around 300 long-term local jobs by the time they come into service from 2018.

In addition, EDF Energies Nouvelles plans to create a supervision center for all of its French offshore wind farms by mid-2017. Based near Nantes, it will have around fifty employees including, in addition to management, supervisory technicians and administrative staff.