21st August 2023 in Community News, Press releases
- 62 scholarships are available during the construction of the wind farm, for students in these communities studying science, technology, engineering and maths subjects to support the cost of further education.
- The programme is open to students in South Tyneside, Redcar and Cleveland and East Riding of Yorkshire.
- The scholarship fund will support students undertaking courses focussed on science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) courses, to help young people prepare for working life in a net zero world.
Students from coastal communities in the north and north-east of England are reminded that the third year scholarship fund closes for applications in less than two weeks.
Dogger Bank Wind Farm’s Scholarship Fund provides grants of £5,000 to local students undertaking science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) courses in further education, with a total of 62 scholarships being awarded during the world’s largest wind farm’s construction phase.
The scholarship fund focuses on the areas of East Riding of Yorkshire, and Redcar and Cleveland, where the windfarm connects to the National Grid, as well as South Tyneside, where the Operation and Maintenance Base will be located.
Students should take note they only have until 1 September 2023 to apply for this year’s round of support. Further details and how to apply can be found at https://doggerbank.com/about/community/.
Oliver Cass, Project Director from Dogger Bank Wind Farm said
“The third round of the scholarship fund has once again proven very popular, it’s great to see the quality of applicants remains high and we encourage local students to make their application before the closing date next month. As we build the world’s largest offshore wind farm, we’re proud to continue supporting young people at a key stage in their educations and preparing for working life in a net zero world.”
Dogger Bank has already awarded 50 scholarships to date to local students undertaking science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) courses in further education to help young people prepare for working life in a net zero world and support students with tuition fees at a key stage in their educations.
Dogger Bank Wind Farm will be located more than 130 km off the northeast coast and will generate enough renewable energy to power six million UK homes. A joint venture partnership between SSE Renewables (40%), Equinor (40%) and Vårgrønn (20%). The wind farm is being built in three consecutive 1.2 GW phases: Dogger Bank A, B and C – connecting to the National Grid in both East Riding of Yorkshire and on Teesside.
SSE Renewables is leading on the development and construction of Dogger Bank Wind Farm, and Equinor will operate the wind farm on completion for its expected operational life of around 35 years.
In June 2021, Dogger Bank Wind Farm unveiled plans for a £1 million construction fund to support coastal communities where its onshore infrastructure is being developed. The programme includes a significant investment in science, technology, engineering, and maths, as well as an operators fund to support local causes. Further information is available at www.doggerbank.com/about/community/
Further details on the scholarship fund and community investment from Dogger Bank can be found here.
Ends
Picture caption: The scholarship fund will support students studying science, technology, engineering, and maths, to help prepare them for the highly skilled jobs in a net zero world.
9th August 2023 in Press releases, Supply Chain
Intasite, a leading provider of innovative workplace safety solutions for high hazard industries, has been contracted by Equinor to create health and safety induction content for its operations and maintenance (O&M) base at Port of Tyne, South Shields.
In a unique element of the partnership, the customised induction content also includes videos featuring the children of the employees of the world’s largest offshore windfarm in health and safety and induction videos. This approach is intended to make the health and safety information more memorable and impactful.
The Dogger Bank Wind Farm currently under construction 130km off the North East coastline, will become the world’s largest offshore wind farm once complete in 2026. Dogger Bank’s O&M base has been constructed in the Tyne Dock Enterprise Park (TDEP) as part of the Port of Tyne’s Tyne Clean Energy Park.
Intasite’s collaboration with Dogger Bank Wind Farm adds to its growing presence in the renewable energy sector, following its partnership with SeAH Wind. The company has been actively working with various renewable organisations, including SSE Renewables, EDF Renewables, Hitachi Energy, SeAH Wind, and RWE, to develop safety induction processes and create safer working environments.
By using the Stockton-based business’s platform, companies can streamline the induction process and provide comprehensive and interactive safety modules that can be completed by visitors, staff, and contractors from any desktop or mobile device. The platform also offers features such as contractor and supplier management, safety briefings, language translations, and integration with access control for enhanced security.
Intasite’s commitment to providing effective and user-friendly health and safety induction solutions has gained recognition in the UK industry. The company’s in-house production team specialises in creating health and safety induction videos, ensuring that the content is tailored to specific safety requirements and industry standards.
Digitising and streamlining the induction process with Intasite’s platform enables organisations to improve employee engagement and comprehension, reduce compliance risks, and foster a culture of safety from day one.
Danielle Croce, director at Intasite, said: “We are pleased that once again, we have confirmed Intasite as the induction provider of choice for the renewable energy sector.
“By featuring employee’s children in the videos, this will make the health and safety information more memorable and impactful.”
David Collier, Equinor SSU lead for Dogger Bank, said: “At Dogger Bank, health and safety is our top priority. By utilising Intasite’s platform, we have successfully incorporated captivating content to the induction process, being able to include the children of our own employees. By connecting our team through their loved ones, we achieve not only heightened engagement but also a greater commitment to maintaining a safe and secure work environment.”
3rd August 2023 in Press releases, Project news
The campaign to install the first of 277 turbines at the world’s largest offshore wind farm is underway, marking a major advance in the industry and speeding up the transition to a cleaner, more secure energy system.
The 260m tall turbines – which are almost twice the height of the London Eye – will be installed c.80 miles off the coast of Yorkshire using a specialist vessel, the ‘Voltaire’, with a lifting capacity of 3,200 tonnes, the largest of its kind in the world.
Work to install the first 260m turbine is expected to begin at the weekend.
The scale of Dogger Bank Wind Farm is immense, occupying an area almost as large as Greater London, on seabed that once formed a land bridge between the UK and Europe. When fully complete it will have an installed capacity of 3.6GW of renewable electricity – more than two and a half times the size of the next largest offshore wind farm* – and be capable of producing enough clean energy to power the equivalent of 6 million homes annually^.
On a visit to Able Seaton Port in the North East of England to mark the occasion, Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said:
“I am pleased to be here in Hartlepool today as we install the first wind turbine at the new Dogger Bank offshore wind farm. This project will generate cheap, clean energy to power millions of homes and provide the UK with greater energy independence in the face of Putin’s energy ransom. Disruption to global energy supplies is one of the key risks we’ve highlighted in our new National Risk Register and working with the Dogger Bank partners, we are making Britain more secure.”
The commencement of the campaign to install GE Renewable Energy’s 13MW Haliade-X turbines, one of the largest and most powerful in the world, is a pivotal moment for the landmark project, which is being developed and built by the UK developer SSE Renewables in a joint venture with Norway’s Equinor and Vårgrønn (a joint venture by Eni Plenitude and Hitec Vision). It also represents a major milestone for the UK’s global leadership on offshore wind.
SSE CEO, Alistair Phillips-Davies said:
“Dogger Bank is one of the biggest and most complex engineering and infrastructure projects anywhere in the world.
“Our progress here with our joint venture partners Equinor and Vårgrønn proves that offshore wind projects of this size are now mainstream and will help turbocharge the transition to the cheaper, cleaner and more secure energy system we all want to see.
“It is action, not ambition, that will secure our energy future and this project shows action on a massive scale. But we will need many more Dogger Banks to achieve our goals and we look forward to working with government to bring forward more projects at pace.”
Equinor EVP Renewables, Pål Eitrheim said:
“The imminent installation of the first turbine at Dogger Bank is a testament to the determination of the UK Government, the project partners, and the supply chain to deliver a world-class offshore wind project for the UK. To reach our net zero goals, we will need even more of this collaboration. We’re delighted to soon begin operating Dogger Bank from our new O&M base at the Port of Tyne, which will host 400 jobs over the 35-year lifetime of the wind farm. We look forward to seeing the 277 turbines installed safely over the next three years, generating green electricity at scale and powering millions of British homes.”
Vårgrønn CEO, Olav Hetland, said:
“Dogger Bank shows that extensive collaboration is key to developing offshore wind farms that provide power at scale while driving innovation.
“Getting to this milestone has relied on the efforts of a huge number of local and international suppliers, and together we have now moved the boundaries of what is possible in offshore wind.
“Dogger Bank now cements the North Sea’s new role as Europe’s renewable power plant and as the home to a world-leading offshore wind supply chain.”
SSE Renewables is lead operator for the development and construction of Dogger Bank Wind Farm. Equinor will be lead operator of the wind farm on completion for its expected operational life of around 35 years. Vårgrønn brings specialist offshore wind expertise to the project.
Dogger Bank has created and supported more than 2,000 jobs, principally in the North East of England. Construction on this scale in the challenging conditions of the North Sea is unprecedented and the project has delivered a number of world-firsts that will significantly accelerate the speed at which future offshore projects can be developed. These include deployment of new 13MW and 14MW turbine technology, the world’s first unmanned offshore High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) substation platform, and first use of HVDC technology on a UK wind farm.
Dogger Bank in numbers
- At 260m, the turbine is almost twice the height of the London Eye and equivalent in height to the iconic Rockefeller Centre in New York.
- Each turn of its 107m long blades will produce enough clean energy to power an average UK home for 2 days.
- Once fully operational, Dogger Bank will generate annual CO2 savings equivalent to the emissions of nearly 1.5 million average internal combustion engine petrol cars.
- The installation vessel, Jan de Nul’s Voltaire, is the largest offshore jack-up installation vessel ever built and is the first ultra-low emission ship of its kind.
CEO of GE Vernova’s Offshore Wind business, Jan Kjaersgaard, said:
“We are delighted that the first campaign to install the Haliade-X turbine at sea at Dogger Bank Wind Farm is underway. We want to thank the partners in the Dogger Bank Wind Farm for the trust they have placed in GE and congratulate everyone involved. Together our teams are making a real contribution to the UK’s ambitious offshore wind goals by helping to bring clean, renewable energy online.”
Jan Van Impe, Manager of Manager Jan De Nul Offshore Renewables added:
“Our Voltaire is more than a match for the scale and characteristics of the offshore Dogger Bank turbines which offer the perfect challenge for this next generation state-of-the art jack-up installation vessel.
“We are excited to be embarking on this campaign to install the very first offshore GE Haliade-X turbine on the Dogger Bank Wind Farm in a sustainable and efficient way, and we are looking forward to continue this mission with industry leaders SSE Renewables, Equinor and Vårgrønn to further construct the energy transition for the UK energy market.”
21st July 2023 in Community News, Press releases
Building our Future, the STEM-focussed primary careers-learning programme, funded by Dogger Bank Wind Farm, held its first year celebration at Redcar & Cleveland College recently.
The Building Our Future programme aims to embed careers education into every primary school in Redcar and Cleveland through engaging workshops supported by local employers. The programme is being delivered by Redcar and Cleveland Voluntary Development Agency with strategic support and guidance from Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council.
Joined by employers, partners and schools, the programme leaders highlighted the success of the first year’s programme, delivered after a pilot programme in 2021-22.
More than 560 young people from 20 Redcar & Cleveland primary and SEND schools have worked with the Building our Future team, and local employers, to learn the skills and knowledge required for the future workforce, particularly within renewable energy industries, such as Dogger Bank.
John Anthony, Vice Chair, Redcar and Cleveland Voluntary Development Agency:
The “Building our Futures” programme is undoubtedly a triumph for teamwork but most importantly a triumph for all the young people who have grown through the process and for those who are still to benefit.
Dogger Bank Wind Farm have supported the programme, not only with funding and resources, but ensuring commitment for employer engagement with schools across their wide and diverse supply chain partnerships. The project unveiled plans for our £1 million investment in key communities of Redcar & Cleveland, East Riding of Yorkshire and South Tyneside in June 2021.
The Dogger Bank team worked with local education providers in Redcar and Cleveland to create a bespoke legacy for the wind farm that tackles the specific educational needs of each community and directly addresses the requirements of young people in the region.
Lindsay Dougan, Community Investment Manager for Dogger Bank Wind Farm, said:
“We’d like to say a huge thanks to everyone who’s made this programme a success in its first year, especially those local employers who’ve given up their time to give 562 children the opportunity to learn about a diverse range of STEM careers right on their doorstep. To hear the children talking so enthusiastically and in such an informed way about STEM, is a testament to the hard work of many organisations and individuals working together to raise aspirations and help young people to unlock their potential.”
Employers working on local regeneration projects are also committing resources and time as part of their corporate social responsibility, to the Building our Future programme, allowing pupils to visit local sites, and work with a range of staff, including project managers, civil engineers and architects.
Luke Myer, Elected Member and Lead for Children and Families, said:
“Building our Future is an inspiring programme that is benefitting many children in Redcar and Cleveland, highlighting to them what they could be become in the future through the wide range of local STEM businesses and job roles. We are grateful to all the employers and partners who have made the programme such a success over the past year.”
Building our Future has also been able to offer wider support to schools with science curriculum resources and activities, visits to local colleges, literacy materials courtesy of Dogger Bank Wind Farm sub-supplier Keltbray and its When I Grow Up book, and National Careers Week career events.
Quote from Stuart Wilson BEng (Hons) CEng MIET, Technical Director, Sweco, said:
The “Building our Future” programme is all about inspiring the next generation of Engineers which aligns with my own principles and those of Sweco where “we plan and design the sustainable cities and communities of our future …however I was never given the opportunity to understand the diverse opportunities that a career in Engineering could offer. This is why it is really important to me personally to be able to work with our future generations so they better understand how diverse a career in Engineering can be and this is exactly what the fantastic Building our Future programme is all about.”
6th July 2023 in Press releases, Supply Chain
CHC Helicopter, a global helicopter services company specialising in offshore transportation, has been awarded a contract to support the construction of Dogger Bank Wind Farm.
CHC has been contracted to provide crew change support for the development of the first phase of the project – Dogger Bank A, with the first flights launched at the end of April. The company is providing AW139 and H175 aircraft to support the contract from its Norwich base.
Alan Borland, Project Manager, Dogger Bank Wind Farm said:
“Being so far from shore presents new challenges to how we manage logistics in Offshore wind, which can only be overcome through the use of trusted suppliers so we are delighted that CHC will join the project to as our aviation partner to support us in our crew changes during the construction of Dogger Bank Wind Farm.”
CHC Helicopter has a long-standing track record of delivering innovative aviation solutions in challenging environments worldwide.
David Grant, Sales Director, EMEA, said:
“We are thrilled to be selected as the aviation partner for the construction of the world’s largest offshore wind farm. This significant project represents a major step towards achieving a greener future, and we are fully committed to supporting the development of sustainable energy sources. Our team is hard at work already to provide safe and efficient services to ensure the success and on-time completion of this ambitious undertaking.”
