2012 Activity and sustainable development report - RTE

A NEED FOR INNOVATIONInvestments on expanding the transmission network totalled €868 million in 2012.Of this amount, €363 million was devoted to the regional networks and more than€500 million to major transmission lines and to interconnections. The constructionof the Cotentin-Maine line is a telling example.INNOVATING TO…EXPAND THE TRANSMISSION NETWORKclose-up on THE COTENTIN-MAINE LINEFollowing preparations lasting more than five years and4,000 meetings for consultation and information,including 1,300 public meetings upstream of the project,construction of the Cotentin-Maine line was launched atthe end of 2011. This new 4,200 MW line, scheduled to comeinto service in 2013, will make it possible to integrateelectricity produced by the third unit at the Flamanvillenuclear plant into the network, increase the potential forintegrating electricity produced by future offshore windfarms and secure supply. An average of between five hundredand six hundred people worked throughout the year on thissite, which is divided into seven sections and which hascalled on thirteen companies for the erection of the420pylons required as well as five civil engineering contractors.This is an exceptional project, which has had to be situatedwith great precaution and which will need particularlyinnovative methods throughout the construction process.INNOVATIVE CONSTRUCTION METHODSConstruction of the 163-kilometre overhead double400kV line calls on industrialised methods that areinnovative and rapid and that need the fewest possibleaccess tracks in order to reduce the environmental impactof the construction site. The transportation of preassembledtowers and the hoisting and unrolling 800 km of cables arecarried out by two Super Puma EC 225 helicopters, acquiredfor this purpose by Airtelis, a subsidiary set up in 2011. Thesetwo heavy-lift aircraft, delivered in October 2011 andMay2012, are capable of lifting and carrying loads of up to4.5 tonnes, compared to a maximum of 1 tonne forhelicopters owned by RTE. The Super Pumas are equippedwith special piloting aids to ensure that these operationsare carried out in complete safety. This original andcompetitive solution could prove to be of interest to othernetwork operators.In keeping with this concern for reducing theenvironmental impact of its achievements, RTE hasestablished a specifi c agricultural agreement for this projectguaranteeing consideration of specific facets of thedepartments concerned. Complementing nationalprotocols, this agreement resulted in RTE making exceptionalcommitments and has required monitoring committeesto be set up in each department to assess and mitigatethe impact of the line on the agricultural land crossed.This exceptional provision is an integral part of this highlyinnovative project. •38