A $2.1 billion (£1.8bn) wind farm is taking shape in the Bay of St Brieuc, some 23 miles south-west of Jersey.
It will eventually feature an offshore substation and 62 wind turbines.
The St Brieuc offshore wind farm will have an installed capacity of 496 megawatts, with the annual production of 1,820 gigawatt hours supplying more than 800,000 homes – or nearly 9% of Brittany’s total electricity consumption.
The electricity it generates will be channelled via an offshore substation and under-sea cables to the French coast near the town of Erquy, from where it will enter the French grid system.
JEP photographer David Ferguson, who can see the development from his home in St Ouen, travelled to the site with reporter Tom Innes for a close-up view of the extraordinary project.
The wind farm is scheduled to become operational next year, and will cover an area of some 75sq-km – around two-thirds the size of Jersey, with the turbines arranged in seven rows 1,300m apart with 1,000m between each raised platform.
The turbines – made up of a 90m mast and three 80m-long blades – will be fixed to each platform next summer. They will be visible for miles around with each one standing up to 30m above sea level, depending on the tide, with another 45m descending into the ocean depths below.
The project is one of four offshore farms being developed by the French in response to global warming and the need to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and increase renewable-energy production.
The French government has set a target of establishing 50 offshore wind farms by 2050.
