InnoVent, a company specialising in the development and operation of wind and solar farms in France and Africa, has renewed the Le Portel wind farm by installing a tripod wind turbine, a first in Europe. The new turbine, which was commissioned on 18 December 2023, has been in operation for just over 6 months, and has already produced over 7.5 GWh, which is more than expected. Annual production will be four times greater than that of the previous machines, and should reach 15,200 MWh per year.

Fitting the blades

Le Porte site

Located in Le Portel, Pas-de-Calais, this wind farm is one of InnoVent’s first. For 21 years, these four 750 kW, 76.5 meter-high wind turbines have been installed along the Carnot dyke, a very good site with plenty of wind. But today, the saline air and sea spray have worn down the machines, which are increasingly difficult to maintain due to the obsolescence of certain parts. The site was therefore under-utilised, because the availability of the machines was not optimal.

For all these reasons, InnoVent decided to apply for repowering. The four turbines were replaced by a single wind turbine, 167 metres high at the tip of the blade and with an output of 3.8 MW, almost 1 MW more than the four turbines combined. What’s special about this machine? Its mast is mounted on a steel lattice tripod, drastically reducing the amount of steel and concrete needed for its foundation.

The first tripod mast in France and Europe is in Le Portel

InnoVent and Nabrawind have already worked together in Morocco, where the two companies installed Africa’s tallest wind turbine using the innovative Nabralift structure.

The foundation represented the main challenge of this renewal project, as the wind turbine will be installed in coastal conditions on an artificial harbour. However, the tripod makes it easier to anchor the turbine in the ground, while exerting less pressure on it.

The foundation is significantly lighter than that of an equivalent tubular tower. The reason for this? Concrete requirements are reduced by 73%, from 650 m3 to 150 m3, and the excavation surface is also reduced by 80%.

Tripod and lattice-mounted wind turbine in Oualidia

Thanks to its renewal, the Le Portel wind farm will make a direct contribution to reducing the carbon footprint of the French energy mix and will increase the supply of renewable, low-carbon electricity. It will produce around 15,200 MWh per year, 4 times more than the 4 old combined turbines.

Grégoire Verhaeghe, CEO of InnoVent, explains: ‘This wind turbine stands on three legs. It therefore requires less concrete to anchor it in the ground’. He adds: ‘The carbon footprint is a key factor in assessing the success of InnoVent’s projects.

This wind turbine is entirely made in Europe: the tripod structure was created by a Spanish company, the wind turbine is made in Germany and the lifting was carried out by a Franco-Belgian company.

Dismantling and recycling the old wind turbines at Le Portel

The old wind turbines were dismantled in the summer of 2024.

For recycling, some of the parts will be kept for use as spare parts for the Bondues wind turbine. The rest will be sent to various recycling centres. The lower part of the tower of the first wind turbine (the southernmost) will not be dismantled, and will be used in particular to house the remote radar for the French Navy.

Crowdfunding

InnoVent supported the repowering project with a crowndfunding campaign, presented on the Lendosphere platform, in order to involve the general public in this innovation and its financial spin-offs. The campaign was an outstanding success with individual investors. A total of €5 million has been invested in the repowering project, with €3 million invested by 1,722 individual lenders, and €2 million invested by the 123 Transition Energétique fund. Investments range from €50 to €300,000, with an average loan of €1,710.