Paris, February 22, 2021 – EDF Renewables, subsidiary of the EDF group, EIH Sa rl, subsidiary of the North American energy infrastructure group Enbridge Inc. (TSX:ENB) (NYSE:ENB) and wpd, European producer of renewable energies, announce the launch of the construction of the Calvados offshore wind farm (Courseulles-sur-Mer). This announcement follows the signing of all financing agreements between the consortium and its financial partners.
With a capacity of 448 MW, the Calvados offshore wind farm project is made up of 64 wind turbines located more than 10 km off the coast of Bessin, over a total area of approximately 45 km². When it is expected to come into service in 2024, it will produce the equivalent of the annual electricity consumption of 630,000 people, or more than 90 % of the population of Calvados.
The total investment cost of the project is estimated at around 2 billion euros. It will be mainly financed by non-recourse debt. The Calvados offshore wind farm benefits from a 20-year power purchase contract (PPA), granted by the State in June 2018.
The project, which will last three and a half years, will create more than 1,000 direct jobs in Normandy. It participates in the development of the French industrial offshore wind sector.
The wind turbines for the future park will be manufactured in Le Havre in the Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy factory on the Quai Joannes Couvert currently under construction. When it is commissioned in the first half of 2022, the turbine manufacturing plant will itself create a total of 750 direct and indirect jobs. This same factory will also produce the 71 wind turbines for the Fécamp offshore wind farm won by the same consortium and whose construction was launched in June 2020. The assembly of the wind turbines will take place in the port of Le Havre from where they will be directly transported to the installation site by sea. Offshore work on the Calvados wind farm will start in 2022.
RTE, responsible for connecting the park, will launch its work on land from March 2021. The consortium has signed its main supply contracts with first-tier suppliers, including:
- Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) for the 64 wind turbines of 7 MW each
- Saipem for their monopile foundations;
- Prysmian Group for submarine cables connecting wind turbines to offshore electrical substations;
- Atlantic Shipyards, with GE Grid Solutions and SDI for the offshore electrical substation.
During the operation of the park, around a hundred long-term local jobs will be created to ensure its maintenance from the port of Caen-Ouistreham.
This project is based on extensive consultation carried out for more than ten years with local stakeholders (State services, elected officials from the Normandy Region, coastal communities and local residents' associations). In-depth environmental studies were carried out by expert design offices, working in particular with local nature and environmental protection associations. A close and continuous dialogue was also carried out with fishing professionals to allow the coexistence of uses and in particular scallop fishing. Finally, due to the proximity of the project to the D-Day beaches, a working group bringing together the National Office for Veterans and War Victims and the University of Caen was formed in order to take into account the history of the site and the collective duty of memory Each of the project's shareholders benefits from extensive experience in the field of offshore wind power and in the management of large-scale industrial projects:
- EDF Renewables which owns 42.5 % of the project through the company Eolien Maritime France, brings its know-how in the development, construction and operation of renewable energy projects, particularly in the offshore wind sector. The company has a portfolio of 6.5 GW of offshore wind assets and projects at various stages of operation, construction and development in France, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland, United States and China.
- EIH S.à rl which owns 42.5 % of the project through the company Eolien Maritime France, is a subsidiary of Enbridge Inc., a major leading North American energy infrastructure group with significant investments in renewable energy in North America and investments in several large offshore wind projects in Europe. In total, Enbridge has 5.1 GW of gross renewable energy capacity in construction and operation, and an additional 3.3 GW of gross renewable energy capacity in various stages of development.
- wpd which owns 15 % of the project, is among the pioneers and leaders of offshore wind power. The group has already put three parks into service in Germany, and recently made the final investment decision for its project of 640 MW in Taiwan. The company has a portfolio of 7.4 GW of offshore wind projects under development in Europe and Asia.
Bruno Bensasson, Executive Director of the EDF Group in charge of the Renewable Energy division
and CEO of EDF Renewables declared : " We are very pleased to be able to announce today with our partners Enbridge and wpd, the launch of the Calvados offshore wind project (Courseulles-sur-Mer). Wind projects at sea of Saint-Nazaire, Fécamp and Calvados won by EDF Renewables during the Government's first call for tenders in 2012 materialize and are now all under construction. This is an important moment for our teams and all stakeholders of the territories concerned who worked with passion, determination and professionalism to contribute to the challenges of local ecological, social and economic transitions. These three projects under construction will mobilize a total of 7,000 jobs. Once put into service, they will enable the creation of 300 long-term jobs and will supply electricity each year 2 million inhabitants. At the same time, we are continuing the development of Dunkerque, our fourth wind project out of the seven awarded by the State. Leader in offshore wind power in France, The EDF group is proud to be a driving force in the creation of this French industrial sector. Offshore wind power is an integral part of EDF's strategy, the objective of which was recently raised and now aims to more than double its capacities. renewables in the world between 2015 and 2030 to increase them from 28 to 60 GW net. ".
Matthew Akman, Vice President, Strategy and Energy at Enbridge,
added: “We are pleased to have reached the stage of the final investment decision for our third offshore wind farm in France, and to officially launch the construction of the Calvados project (Courseulles-sur-Mer). Over the past few years, we have strengthened Enbridge's role as a competitive offshore wind player in Europe and developed an extensive project portfolio. Enbridge invests in low-carbon renewable energy projects that support the economy and are aligned with our low-risk investment approach. This project in the Calvados Sea is another source of pride for our partners, EDF Renewables, wpd, and us. ".
Achim Berge Olsen, Executive Director of the wpd AG group and CEO
from wpd offshore France commented: “We are very proud to reach this new stage of the Courseulles-sur-Mer project, after a long work undertaken by our teams since 2008 in Normandy. Beyond the industrial opportunities created by this project, the Calvados park anchors the sustainability of offshore wind power in the French energy mix. It also paves the way for future projects that will see the light of day off the French coast in the years to come, for which wpd intends to continue to play a major role. ".
For more information, see: http://parc-eolien-en-mer-du-calvados.fr/
About EDF Renewables
EDF Renewables is an international leader in renewable electricity production with installed wind and solar capacity of 13.8 GW gross worldwide. Mainly present in Europe and North America, EDF Renewables continues its development by taking a position in promising emerging markets such as: Brazil, China, India, South Africa and the Middle East. Historically active in onshore wind power and photovoltaics, the Company is now strongly positioned in offshore wind power and new technologies such as energy storage. EDF Renewables ensures the development and construction of renewable energy projects as well as their operation and maintenance. EDF
Renewables is a subsidiary of the EDF group.
For more information: www.edf-renouvelables.com
Follow us on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/edf-renouvelables and on Twitter @EDF_RE in French and
@EDF_Renewables in English.
About Enbridge Inc.
Enbridge Inc. is one of the largest energy infrastructure companies in North America. We safely and reliably deliver the energy that powers people's quality of life. Our principal businesses include the Pipelines sector, which transports approximately 25 % of crude oil produced in North America, the Gas Transportation and Midstream Services sector, which transports approximately 20 % of natural gas consumed in the United States, and the Distribution sector and gas storage, which serves nearly 3.8 million retail customers in Ontario and Quebec, and the Renewable Energy Generation sector, which currently produces approximately 1,750 MW (net capacity) of renewable energy in North America and Europe. The Company's common shares are listed on the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges under the symbol ENB.
For further information: www.enbridge.com.
About wpd AG
Producer of 100% renewable electricity, the wpd group develops, finances, builds and operates wind farms (on land and sea) and photovoltaic solar farms (on the ground or on roofs). Founded in 1996 in Germany, wpd is present in 25 countries and employs 2,700 people worldwide. wpd benefits from an installed capacity greater than 4.7 GW, divided between onshore wind power, offshore wind power and photovoltaic solar power, as well as a portfolio of projects under development, all energies combined, greater than 19 GW. www.wpd.de
- PRESS CONTACTS
EDF Renewables:
Manon de Cassini-Hérail ▪ tel. : +33 (0)1 40 90 48 22 ▪ email: manon.decassini-herail@edf-re.fr
Enbridge:
Mandy Dinning ▪ email: media @enbridge.com
WPD:
Alison Aguilé ▪ email: a.aguile@wpd.fr
Enbridge Forward-Looking Information.
Forward-looking information, or forward-looking statements, are included in this press release to provide information about Enbridge, its subsidiaries and affiliates, including management's assessment of the future plans and activities of Enbridge, its subsidiaries and its affiliates. This information is not necessarily relevant for other purposes. Generally, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "expect", "project", "estimate", "forecast", "plan", "intend", " target”, “believe”, “likely” and other similar terms that imply the possibility of future results or certain prospects. Forward-looking information or statements included in this press release include, among other things, statements relating to the Calvados Offshore Wind Energy Project (the “Project”) including its anticipated benefits, anticipated employment, anticipated costs, dates construction and commissioning and the planned electricity production capacity. Although Enbridge believes that these forward-looking statements are reasonable based on the information available on the date they were made and the processes used to make them, they are not guarantees of future performance and readers are cautioned. caution in not placing undue reliance on these statements. By their nature, these statements are based on various assumptions and take into account known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, levels of activity and achievements to differ. considerably of what is expressed or implied in these statements. Assumptions regarding expected energy supply, demand and prices are important and underlie all forward-looking statements because they may affect current and future levels of demand for energy. services of Enbridge and for the project. Additionally, exchange rates, inflation, interest rates and the COVID-19 pandemic impact the economic and operating environment in which Enbridge operates, may impact demand levels with respect to Enbridge's services, the project and the cost of inputs and are therefore inseparable from all forward-looking statements. Due to the interdependencies and correlation among these macroeconomic factors, it is not possible to determine with certainty the impact that any of these assumptions may have on any particular forward-looking statement. The most relevant assumptions associated with forward-looking statements about announced projects and projects under construction (including the Project), including estimated completion dates and anticipated capital expenditures, are as follows: the COVID-19 pandemic, its duration and impact, the impact of government, regulatory and customer approvals for construction, commissioning and cost recovery regimes, the availability and pricing of labor and materials construction, the effects of inflation and exchange rates on labor and material costs, the impact of interest rates on borrowing costs, the impact of weather conditions and capacity of our joint venturers to carry out and finance the proposed projects (in particular the project). Enbridge's forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, including those discussed in this press release and other Enbridge filings with securities regulators. securities in Canada and the United States. It is impossible to determine with any precision the impact of any of these risks, uncertainties or factors on any particular forward-looking statement because they are interrelated and Enbridge's future course of action depends on the management's assessment of all information known at one time or another. Except as required by applicable law, Enbridge undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this press release or as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. reason. Any subsequent forward-looking statements, whether written or oral, attributable to Enbridge or anyone acting on Enbridge's behalf, should be expressly qualified by these cautionary statements.