Offshore test site SEM-REV

Sem REV image vignette

Created in 2007 by Centrale Nantes, SEM-REV has been exclusively operated since 2023 by the OPEN-C Foundation, which coordinates, develops and pilots offshore trials in the fields of floating wind, tidal and wave energy, hydrogen at sea and floating photovoltaics.

Europe's 1st multi-technology offshore test site connected to the network

The SEM-REV has all the offshore and onshore equipment needed to develop, validate and optimize systems for recovering energy, mainly from swell and offshore wind. It is an essential facility for meeting the challenge of developing Renewable Marine Energies in France.

Installed off the coast of the Pays de la Loire region

carte sem-rev


The offshore test site includes :

  • a 1 km² special offshore zone, 20 km off the coast of Le Croisic, equipped for oceanographic and meteorological measurements (wind, wave and current and local parameters), marked out by 4 buoys;
  • electrical infrastructure to connect the system to the Enedis medium-voltage grid via an 8 MW, 25 km-long electrical cable;
  • a hub enabling the simultaneous connection of 3 technologies
  • a research base, equipped with systems for receiving, monitoring and controlling the systems under experimentation, located on the Penn-Avel site, which houses around ten researchers and engineers.
The choice of site was made on the basis of field studies which identified an optimum site off the coast of Le Croisic, taking into account technical, regulatory and environmental constraints, as well as respect for the use of maritime spaces by marine professionals.

Recent collaborations:


Bouygues & BW Ideol : FLOATGEN, first offshore wind turbine in France.

Today, FLOATGEN is the only offshore wind turbine, both fixed and floating, to be installed in France. The project is supported by Idéol, Centrale Nantes and Bouygues Travaux Publics. Construction work on the floating foundation took place between 2016 and 2017 in Saint-Nazaire. It was inaugurated on October 13, 2017, and was towed to the SEM-REV sea test site in April 2018 to carry out all the real-life tests. It has been generating electricity injected into the grid since September 2018.
 
Floatgen sur le site du SEM-REV
FLOATGEN at SEM-REV | @Centrale Nantes Fondation OPEN-C


GEPS Techno : WAVEGEM®, the swell energy recovery prototype.

WAVEGEM® is an autonomous hybrid energy production platform designed to power maritime or island installations with no access to the electrical grid, and which wish to ensure their electrical production while respecting current environmental issues. The platform was developed by GEPS Techno, a company based in the Pays de la Loire region of France. The platform was installed on the SEM-REV site on August 21, 2019 for an 18-month sea trials campaign.
 
Wavegem sur le SEM-REV
WAVEGEM at SEM-REV | @Centrale Nantes Fondation OPEN-C

Lhyfe : Sealhyfe, first offshore hydrogen production facility in the world.

Inauguré le 23 septembre 2022 à Saint-Nazaire, le 1er pilote de production d’hydrogène offshore au monde, a eu pour mission de démontrer la faisabilité technique d’un tel projet, et de permettre à Lhyfe de disposer de l’expérience opérationnelle nécessaire pour passer rapidement à l’échelle. L’entreprise avait choisi de confronter Sealhyfe aux conditions réelles en mer pendant plusieurs mois. Ces tests ont donc été effectués sur une plateforme flottante, repensée pour stabiliser l'unité de production en mer.
Published on April 9, 2025 Updated on April 9, 2025