Offshore Work Commences for World’s Largest Wind Farm, Dogger Bank

Offshore work began for the cabling two years after onshore work began for the lworld's argest offshore wind farm (SSE Renewables)

PUBLISHED APR 29, 2022 7:52 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

Offshore construction for the world’s largest offshore wind farm has commenced marking a significant milestone for the development of the Dogger Bank Wind Farm located off the northeast coast of England. Two years after work began on the project, the installation of the first length of HVDC export cable off the Yorkshire coast began for the wind farm which when fully completed in 2026 will have the capacity to generate 3.6 GW.

"This is an exciting time for everyone involved in this project as we celebrate installing the first nearshore HVDC export cable safely and on time,” said Steve Wilson, Project Director at Dogger Bank Wind Farm. “With the first foundations due to be installed later this year and the first turbines scheduled for installation in 2023, we’re now well on our way to achieving first power.”

Onshore work for the project began early in 2020, five years after consent was granted. Located in the North Sea, the first phases are approximately 80 miles offshore followed by a third phase that will be 125 miles from shore. The first nearshore cable sections are currently being installed for Dogger Bank A which will generate 1.2 GW upon completion. This phase of the construction will continue during 2022, with work starting on the export cables for Dogger Bank B and Dogger Bank C in consecutive years.

A joint venture project between SSE Renewables (40 percent), Equinor (40 percent), and Eni Plenitude (20 percent), SSE Renewables is leading the development and construction of Dogger Bank Wind Farm. Equinor will be the lead operator of the wind farm on completion for its expected operational life of around 35 years.

Dogger Bank Wind Farm is being built in three phases known as A, B, and C. NKT will supply and install the onshore and offshore HVDC cable for all three phases of the project. The company will use its cable-laying vessel NKT Victoria to install the 320kV DC subsea cable system in the North Sea