Louis Dreyfus Armateurs commits to work with regional companies for future French offshore wind farms

In order to contribute to the structuring of a French marine energy sector for the AO4 and AO5 projects, offshore wind farm installation projects in Normandy and southern Brittany, the Louis Dreyfus Armateurs group undertakes to work with the regional sub-contractors by signing the tier 1 supplier charter.

Louis Dreyfus Armateurs signs the Tier 1 supplier charter

The offshore wind farm projects in Normandy and South Brittany represent an opportunity to pursue the development of a robust industrial sector that creates new professions and jobs. The objective of the tier 1 supplier charter is to facilitate the access of local VSEs and SMEs to business opportunities.
The Bretagne Ocean Power, Aquitaine Blue Energies, Normandie Maritime, Neopolia, Wind’Occ and Sud Eole groups represent more than 500 companies positioned in Marine Renewable Energies (fixed and floating offshore wind turbines, tidal turbines, wave power, etc.). Initiators of the 1st charter signed by all candidates for AO 4 and 5, they decline the operation with tier 1 subcontractors who volunteer to work with local companies.

As a reminder, a tier 1 supplier is an industrialist who carries out a complete work package on behalf of the wind farm developer, such as the development, construction, operation and dismantling of future offshore wind farms, the foundation, the supply of the turbine, the supply of the electrical substation, the offshore installation of inter-wind cables, and even the operation and maintenance of the farm. The Tier 1 charter presents a particularly important challenge because Tier 1 manufacturers are the most likely to use local subcontracting from SMEs and VSEs.

Louis Dreyfus Armateurs commits to:

• Build an offer that respects stakeholders and integrates economic, social and environmental impacts
• Adopt a commercial and purchasing behavior that respects French VSEs-SMEs
• Set up a methodology for selecting suppliers, helping to improve access to the markets of VSEs-SMEs through the platforms offered by clusters and/or business groups
• Share feedback on procurement with a representative of clusters and groups of companies.
• Support, through the actions carried out more generally by its shareholders, R&D projects specific to the sector associating VSEs-SMEs, academic actors and local sea users in its own R&D projects.

The Group's experience in the installation and maintenance of the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm

The Group will be able to take advantage of the experience acquired for the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm project.

Indeed, our subsidiary Louis Dreyfus TravOcean (LDTVO), a leading partner of the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm, won the contract to install the wind farm's inter-wind cables. LDTVO ensured that the solutions involved local partners. Louis Dreyfus TravOcean paid particular attention to the safety and environment dimensions throughout the project and collaborated with all the subcontractors involved in order to implement the most virtuous solutions.

In addition, our Group has been selected for the supply of 3 Crew Transfer Vessels for the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm. LDA chose French companies for the design and construction of these vessels, following a demanding tendering process involving French and foreign shipyards. The innovative design was carried out by MAURIC, a naval architecture firm based in Nantes, and the construction was carried out by the French shipyard OCEA, a leader in the design, construction and maintenance of aluminum ships, whose production sites are based in France. These vessels will enable field maintenance work to be carried out and they will be operated from La Turballe, where LDA has opened a new office, with locally recruited sailors.

Finally, through the activity of our subsidiary OpenR, we have favored the recruitment of local technicians to carry out inspections on land and at sea on behalf of GE Renewable Energy.

In order to guarantee the highest level of quality and satisfaction to our customers, we are convinced of the interest that local roots represent for the development of activities related to offshore wind power. LDA is committed to the implementation of solutions involving local players and contributing to the economic dynamism of regions hosting offshore wind farms.