Turbine commissioning begins following latest construction milestone at Southern Europe site

Monday 30 September 2024: Less than a year since SSE broke ground on the project, SSE is celebrating the safe and successful installation of the final onshore turbine at the 28MW Chaintrix-Bierges and Vélye Wind Farm in France.

Turbine installation began this summer and has been delivered on schedule. This latest milestone for the SSE Renewables project comes a few weeks after the installation of the first turbine at the construction site in the country's Grand-Est region (Marne).

Construction completion of the final turbine by SSE Renewables at the site follows close collaboration with expert technicians from turbine manufacturer Siemens Gamesa, which supplied and safely installed each of the eight SG 3.4-132 MW units at the wind farm.

Commissioning and testing of turbines will now commence and continue until the site becomes fully operational, which is expected by the end of 2024.

The Chaintrix-Bierges and Vélye project is SSE's first onshore wind farm in construction in France. It is also the first of the company's projects to enter construction outside the company's core UK and Ireland market.

Delphine Henri, France Director of SSE Renewables, said:
"We're truly delighted to be celebrating the safe, successful and on schedule completion of turbine installation at our Chaintrix-Bierges and Vélye wind farm project. This demonstrates the great progress we're making on the delivery of the project and we're on track to complete and enter generation operation by the end of the year.

"Successfully reaching this milestone is due to the excellent teamwork and collaboration from everyone involved in the project's delivery. Particular thanks go to turbine supplier Siemens Gamesa along with our lead contractor Omexom in partnership with Civils contractor Pothelet, as well as to other supply chain partners Vodafone, Dekra, Elys, Groupe Geotec, and Auddicé.
"We would also like to thank local residents, the elected representatives and the wider community for their support to our project team while we undertook construction at site. It is a real example of how we have successfully collaborated with the supply chain and with local stakeholders to help deliver what will be France's newest renewable energy site."

When complete, the Chaintrix-Bierges and Vélye wind farm will be capable of generating enough low-carbon energy over its expected 30-year lifetime to power over 14,000 homes annually*.
Delivery of the wind farm represents a total capital investment of more than €30 million by SSE Renewables. This investment is supporting the local economy in the Grand-Est region, with around 80 construction roles supported at peak delivery.
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About SSE Renewables
SSE Renewables is a leading developer and operator of renewable energy, headquartered in the UK and Ireland, with a growing presence internationally. Part of energy infrastructure company SSE plc, UK-listed in the FTSE100, its strategy is to lead the transition to a net zero future through the world-class development, construction and operation of clean power assets across a diverse mix of renewable technologies. SSE plans to invest around £20.5bn to 2027, or over £10m a day on average, on its fully funded, five-year Net Zero Acceleration Programme Plus (NZAP Plus) infrastructure delivery programme to help drive progress towards a cleaner and more secure homegrown energy system. This includes plans to invest around £7bn to increase installed renewable energy capacity to around 9GW by 2027, including the delivery of the world's largest offshore wind farm in construction. SSE Renewables has a team of around 2,000 renewable energy professionals based across the UK and Ireland, Continental Europe, and Japan, all committed to delivering the green energy the world needs now and in the future.