Latest news : Project news

Dogger Bank STEM programme wins in Engineer’s 2023 Collaborate to Innovate Awards

13th March 2024 in Community News, Project news

An innovative programme which challenged South Tyneside youngsters to use their imagination to find new ways of harnessing renewable energy has taken first place in the STEM Initiative category of a national awards scheme.

The South Tyneside and Beyond programme, which was delivered by Little Inventors in partnership with South Tyneside Council and Dogger Bank Wind Farm, was awarded the top spot at The Engineer magazine’s Collaborate to Innovate Awards.

The programme saw over 3,000 children take part in an ‘invention challenge’, which encouraged the youngsters to expand their skills in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) by broadening their knowledge of renewable energy and how it can be used to bring about positive change for the planet.

Year 4 pupils came up with a wide range of creative ideas, including a ‘turtle motorway, an ‘auto shivering device’ and ‘wind mirrors’ which use propellors on car wing mirrors to capture enough energy to power the radio and sat nav – a design that was shortlisted in the Young Innovator category.

To give credence to the creations, the best designs were transformed into prototypes by industry partners and put on display at The Word in South Shields.

Cllr Jane Carter, Lead Member for Education and Skills, said: “South Tyneside has a burgeoning ‘green’ sector but it is vital that our young people know about the skills that will be needed in the future to secure these high-quality jobs.

“This project has demonstrated the tangible value that collaboration between education and industry can bring for all concerned. It has shown how creativity and imagination can be used to solve real-world problems, while also raising the aspirations, knowledge and confidence of our young people.”

The second year of the project is now underway with a programme of school-based workshops where young people can learn more STEM subjects, using Dogger Bank – currently the world’s largest offshore wind farm being built off the North East coastline – as inspiration.

Craig Bright from Little Inventors said: “We take young people’s ideas from all around the world seriously, and to have the opportunity to make a difference to the wonderful little inventors in South Tyneside in collaboration with South Tyneside Council and Dogger Bank Wind Farm was such a fantastic experience. We’re absolutely thrilled that the efforts of everybody involved have been recognised with this award.”

Kay Doragh, Community Investment Manager at Equinor – one of the industry partners in the project – added: “The Powering the Future programme really benefits from the trust it puts in young people to have amazing and innovative ideas, as seen in the brilliant Wind Mirrors invention by nine-year old Isaac from Cleadon. It’s this creative drive that we hope will inspire young people to embrace STEM in education and as a future career, especially in renewable energy.”

Tees Valley youngsters to create net zero hero for storybook competition

7th March 2024 in Community News, Press releases, Project news

Primary school children are being challenged to create an energy-themed superhero story as part of a competition launched by Dogger Bank Wind Farm and its partners in Redcar and Cleveland. 

The 500-word challenge is being launched on World Book Day 2024, to inspire young people to learn about where energy comes from, and how it’s used as a positive force in the world.

In their stories the schoolchildren will create an “energy superhero” which uses its superpowers to save the day.

The competition is part of the Dogger Bank Wind Farm-funded Building our Futures programme, which 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 (RCVDA) with strategic support and guidance from Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council.

“More than 750 children from over 30 schools have taken part in Building Our Futures workshops since we launched the programme last year,” said programme manager for the RCVDA, Jacqui Hutchinson.

“Children have been inspired by real-life workplace representatives from Dogger Bank’s supply chain and wider local businesses, with pupils experiencing first-hand accounts of careers in a diverse range of industries.

 “The book competition will enable young people to use their creative side to express their thoughts about the role different forms of energy play in our lives, and why it’s important to understand where this energy comes from.

 “We can’t wait to see our bright, enquiring young people bring their net zero heroes to life.”

The World Book Day competition is being supported by Dogger Bank Wind Farm construction contractor Keltbray, Teesside University, Redcar and Cleveland Voluntary Development Agency and BBC Tees.

Dogger Bank Wind farm is a joint venture between SSE Renewables, Equinor and Vårgrønn. The wind farm is being built 80 miles off the Yorkshire coast, and will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm when it’s fully commissioned in 2026.

The north and north-east of England are playing a critical role in the delivery and operation of the wind farm, and more than 2,000 UK based roles have been created or supported in relation to the construction and operation of the wind farm.

Dogger Bank Wind Farm will transmit renewable energy via national electricity network substations in East Riding of Yorkshire, and at Lackenby on Teesside.

The wind farm’s operation and maintenance base is located at Port of Tyne, and the Able Seaton port near Hartlepool is being used by the project’s turbine manufacturer for carrying out pre-assembly work on the turbines during the construction programme.

Primary schools can enter the World Book Day competition at World Book Day Competition – Building our Future – RCVDA

April 12 is the closing date for entries. Authors of the winning books will receive a book voucher and the chance for their class to visit Dogger Bank Wind Farm’s operation and maintenance base at Port of Tyne.

 

Dogger Bank described as ‘market leader’ by community investment report author

21st February 2024 in Community News, Project news

Raised aspirations in schools and reduced debt burden for students are just some of the outcomes highlighted in an independent report evaluating the impact of Dogger Bank Wind Farm’s £1 million investment in key communities during its initial construction period.

The report, by independent social research experts ekosgen, looked at Dogger Bank Wind Farm’s community investment programme between 2021 and 2023.

In its conclusions, ekosgen describes Dogger Bank Wind Farm as a market leader for its commitment to evaluating outcomes and areas for improvement in its community investment.

The Dogger Bank Wind Farm £1 million construction fund was launched in summer 2021, to support the communities closest to the sites that will be home to the onshore assets required to operate and maintain the world’s largest offshore wind farm.

Split between the areas of East Riding of Yorkshire, Redcar & Cleveland and South Tyneside, the package of financial support focused on enhancing science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) education, to help young people prepare for life in a net zero world.

Working with the local education providers in each of the three key areas, the award-winning wind farm project funded bespoke programmes to address the individual needs in each area.

In addition to this, 62 students across the three key communities received £5,000 scholarships to support their STEM education courses, and £1,000 grants were awarded to grassroots community initiatives through a scheme known as the operator fund.

Teachers who provided feedback to the authors of the study talked about their ability to extend pupils’ knowledge of careers, and enhancing links with employers and career specialists.

Feedback from STEM students showed financial support from Dogger Bank Wind Farm has helped to reduce the burden of student debt, while the report states grants available to grassroots community initiatives are straightforward to access and can have a big impact in the wind farm’s key communities.

The report also highlights areas for further development to take into consideration as the wind farm refines its plans for further investment during its 35-your operational lifetime.

The progress highlighted in the report shows what can be achieved when industry works together with local authorities and communities to create opportunities for coastal communities to flourish.

The full report is available here:

https://doggerbank.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Dogger-Bank-Wind-Farm-community-investment-evaluation-report-February-2024.pdf

Naming ceremony held for North Star’s Grampian Tees

1st February 2024 in Construction, Operations, Project news

North Star’s third hybrid-propulsion service operation vessel (SOV), the Grampian Tees, was named this week at an event held at the Port of Aberdeen, ahead of an early delivery to the Dogger Bank Wind Farm.

Jane Cunningham, PA to SSE’s Director of Capital Projects and the Dogger Bank Project Director, was named as the Godmother to the Grampian Tees; and Jessica Grant, the daughter of Mark Grant, Dogger Bank Head of Procurement and Commercial at SSE Renewables, was named as the Goddaughter of the Susan Auld daughter craft vessel. Together, they successfully performed the traditional good luck celebration by smashing a champagne bottle on the vessel after a blessing from one of the Aberdeen Seafarer’s Centre Port Chaplins.

The Grampian Tees reflects North Star’s Scottish heritage and the famous river in the North-East of England, where she will initially support the construction and commissioning of the wind farm from, before moving to support Operations, based out of the flagship O&M Base in the Port of Tyne. The daughter craft’s name honours Susan Auld (10th January 1915 – 9 March 2002), who was a pioneering naval architect from Tynemouth, North East England, and the first women to graduate as a naval architect from Durham University.

The Grampian Tees vessel belongs to the VARD 4 12 design and is one of four that will be used for at least ten years to support operations and maintenance at the Dogger Bank Wind Farm, which located more than 130km off the coast of Yorkshire in the North Sea. The vessel joins the Grampian Tyne and Grampian Derwent vessels, which were both delivered ahead of schedule to the wind farm in 2023.

The vessel design offers high-quality living quarters for technicians servicing the offshore wind turbines including a gym, along with a centralised logistics center capable of handling cargo and functioning as a warehouse for Dogger Bank Wind Farm, which is set to be the world’s largest offshore wind farm once complete.

In 2021, Dogger Bank Wind Farm awarded North Star Renewables with contracts to deliver four state-of-the-art SOVs to the project, creating 170 UK jobs based in crewing and shore-based roles.

Yorkshire engineering specialist wins contract on world’s largest offshore wind farm

1st November 2023 in Construction, Press releases, Project news, Supply Chain

Boston Energy has secured a contract with Ge Vernova to provide mechanical and electrical expertise during the construction of Dogger Bank Wind Farm.

The East Riding of Yorkshire-headquartered firm will undertake onshore commissioning and completion work at Able Seaton in Hartlepool, as well as offshore mechanical and electrical (M&E) completion and offshore commissioning.

The work will involve more than 190 UK based personnel at its peak, and represents Boston’s largest ever single award in offshore wind.

Dogger Bank Wind Farm Commercial Director, Simon Bailey, said:

“It’s great to see another key contractor creating job opportunities to support the construction of Dogger Bank Wind Farm. Construction and commissioning of turbine technology is a critical element of our programme that will help us to steadily ramp up to full operating capacity of 3.6GW by 2026.”

Nathan Fahey, Project Director at GE Vernova, said:

 “We have been working with Boston Energy since the contract award for offshore commissioning of the Dogger Bank Wind Farm and I’m really pleased to have them as a trusted partner as we move into the operational phase of the project.

“I trust the team will deliver the expected results, at the quality and execution standards we want to provide to our customer.

“We are very much looking forward to working with Boston Energy to help us deliver this fantastic project utilising our Haliade-X turbines. Delivering this project will significantly enhance the UK’s net zero ambitions and help make a substantial dent in CO2 emissions.”

Julian Cattermole, CEO of Boston Energy, said:

 “We’re thrilled that GE Vernova have entrusted us to deliver the onshore and offshore commissioning of this truly exciting, and transformative project.

“GE has recognised that Boston Energy has a very strong track record of delivering exceptional quality on its projects as well as ensuring it delivers to budget and to the highest safety and environmental standards.

“We now need to get on and deliver to those same exacting standards that GE Vernova expects.”

To demonstrate its commitment to local content, Boston Energy has employed 80 per cent of its offshore team and 85 per cent of its onshore team from the North East of England, where pre construction activities are taking place.