28th October 2020 in Press releases, Project news
The Minister of State for Business, Energy and Clean Growth, Kwasi Kwarteng, will speak at the opening session of Offshore Wind North East 2020 next week.
The virtual event, which is organised by NOF and supported by the Dogger Bank Offshore Wind Farm, is billed as the place where the offshore wind sector meets to network and do business.
This year’s key themes will include energy transition and the role of offshore wind, the future of the floating market, Innovation and global offshore wind markets.
There will also be sessions focused on North East England offshore wind projects, Dogger Bank Wind Farm and Sofia Offshore Wind Farm.
Speaking at the event, the Energy Minister is set to reaffirm the UK Government’s commitment to offshore wind after the recent announcement by the Prime Minister to invest £160m in ports and facilities in support of the sector.
Offshore Wind North East 2020 is the place where the offshore wind sector meets to network and do business
Offshore Wind North East, which is sponsored by Strategic Event Partners Dogger Bank Wind Farm and Sofia Offshore Wind Farm, along with Regional Event Partners, Invest North East England and Invest Tees Valley, will also provide a platform for the region’s supply chain with an online exhibition area showcasing the expertise, products and capabilities of a wide variety of companies and organisations.
James Ritchie, Chair of Energi Coast, said: “This will be the first time that the Offshore Wind Conference will be held as a virtual event, and it comes at a particularly exciting time for the Offshore Wind industry in the region.
“We welcome the Government’s commitment to the industry, and the recent announcement by the Prime Minister demonstrates the importance of offshore wind to the UK’s energy requirements. North East England is fully equipped to support the growth of the industry and play an instrumental role in the UK’s green recovery and net zero ambitions. We have the experience, expertise and track record to support current and future projects, which will be highly evident at Offshore Wind North East.”
Dogger Bank Wind Farm is a Strategic Event Partner for the two-day virtual event
Steve Wilson, Dogger Bank Wind Farm’s Project Director at SSE Renewables, said: “Dogger Bank Wind Farm and our appointed tier 1 contractors are committed to supporting the development and growth of a competitive supply chain, particularly from UK-based suppliers.
“Offshore Wind North East is a great chance for companies in the offshore wind sector to meet and discuss opportunities in order to take advantage of this rapidly-growing sector. We’re building the largest offshore wind farm in the world and by supporting this event we can help small, medium and large-scale businesses to both compete in the UK market and potentially become global leaders in offshore wind too.”
Sofia’s Project Director David Few said: “We are once again a Strategic Event Partner for OWNE2020 as it provides a great platform for RWE Renewables to signpost our projects and highlight opportunities, while bringing together suppliers from across the offshore wind supply chain and creating a lively marketplace for the whole sector. This is why we, in Sofia, see significant value in ensuring we have a strong presence and visibility.
“The world of virtual events is evolving but right now, when meeting face-to-face is just not possible, OWNE2020 will play a vital role in helping to keep our industry, particularly in the North East, connected and thriving.”
Tickets are available for the conference via https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/offshore-wind-north-east-2020-tickets-81445153647 or by contacting Philippa Smith, Lead Events Coordinator on email at psmith@nof.co.uk or by telephone on +44 (0) 191 375 1639.
22nd October 2020 in Press releases, Project news
GE Renewable Energy’s Haliade-X prototype, which is to be used in the first two phases of the Dogger Bank Wind Farm, is now operating at a 13MW power output following optimisation.
The Haliade-X 13MW offshore wind turbine will be used in the first two phases of UK’s Dogger Bank Wind Farm, with a total of 190 units to be installed starting in 2023. This will mark the first installation of the world’s most powerful wind turbine at what will be the world’s biggest offshore wind farm.
GE Renewable Energy’s Haliade-X prototype is now operating at a 13MW power
During the next few months, this prototype will undergo a series of tests to perform different types of measurements and obtain its type certificate.
The Haliade-X 13MW, which is an uprated version of the prototype that has been successfully operating in Rotterdam since November 2019, recently secured its provisional type certificate and set a new world record by generating 288 MWh in one day.
This uprated 13MW Haliade-X version will continue to feature 107m long blades and a 220m rotor, and will be able to generate 4% more Annual Energy Production (AEP) than the previous 12MW version of the prototype.
Vincent Schellings, Chief Technology Officer for Offshore Wind at GE Renewable Energy, said “With three years in the making, the Haliade-X platform has proven to be a successful story. Combined with almost 5GW of customer commitments and an international testing and R&D program, the 13MW uprated version is a true testament of how we continue to innovate and develop our Haliade-X technology to address our customers’ needs.”
The Haliade-X platform serial production will start in the second half of 2021 at GE’s Saint-Nazaire factory in France.
The Rotterdam-based prototype set a new world record in January 2020 by generating 288 MWh of continuous power in one day. It has also been recognised as the Best Sustainable Invention of the Year by TIME magazine (December 2019) and Best Wind Turbine of the Year (January 2020) by Wind Power Monthly magazine.
Steve Wilson, Dogger Bank Wind Farm’s Project Director at SSE Renewables, said: “These record-breaking turbines are once again demonstrating exactly why they’ve been selected for the world’s biggest offshore wind farm. This innovative technology will be installed for the first time in the world, on the first two phases of Dogger Bank Wind Farm. Not only will this mark a significant milestone for the offshore wind industry, it will also lead to the creation of skilled jobs to support the construction and maintenance of this ground-breaking project.”
6th October 2020 in Project news
Dogger Bank Wind Farm Project Director, Steve Wilson (below), said:
“Today’s speech from the Prime Minister highlights the important role that offshore wind projects like Dogger Bank Wind Farm will play in providing clean power to homes up and down the country, as well as creating thousands of new jobs. It is also really positive news that there will be more investment in port infrastructure and manufacturing for offshore wind which subject to timing, could help support Dogger Bank, as well as the longer-term growth of the UK supply chain.”
“We’re already bringing a wealth of opportunities to the North East region, with 320 new green energy jobs announced recently in our supply chain. These include 200 jobs at the Port of Tyne, which will serve as our operations and maintenance base, as well as 120 jobs at Able Seaton, which will be the turbine marshalling facility during the construction phase.”
Watch the Prime Minister’s speech here:
28th May 2020 in Project news
A draft Decommissioning Programme has been produced and sets out the details of the wind farms to be decommissioned and how they will be decommissioned. This will be submitted to the government for approval, but first we want to hear your comments by 26 June 2020. The Decommissioning Programme is available in The Consenting Process section of this website (below) along with its relevant appendices and how to get in touch.
13th May 2020 in Project news, Supply Chain
SSE Renewables and Equinor, the two companies behind the world’s biggest offshore wind farm Dogger Bank, have today announced plans to build a new Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Base at the Port of Tyne.
- Dogger Bank Wind Farm will be able to generate around 5% of the UK’s electricity needs
- Multi-million GBP Operations and Maintenance base to be constructed at Port of Tyne
- Further strengthens Port of Tyne positioning to become low-carbon industrial hub
- Facility will bring hundreds of jobs and supply chain opportunities to the North East
SSE Renewables and Equinor, the two companies behind the world’s biggest offshore wind farm Dogger Bank, have today announced plans to build a new Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Base at the Port of Tyne.
Dogger Bank Wind Farm is a 50:50 joint venture (JV) between Equinor and SSE Renewables. Construction of the wind farm, led by the SSE’ Groups renewables arm, SSE Renewables, began in January 2020 and as operator for the operations phase, Equinor will construct the new O&M base, and operate the wind farm for its expected life of more than 25 years.
The overall wind farm comprises three 1.2GW phases, with each phase located more than 130km from the North East coast of England. When fully operational it will be able to provide enough renewable electricity for over 4.5 million UK homes.
The new multi-million pound facility, which includes both office space and a warehouse, will be the onshore base for the Dogger Bank team ensuring the efficient operation of the wind farm. The flagship project is expected to generate over 200 direct jobs in the region, as well as opportunities for companies at all levels of the supply chain.
Paul Cooley, SSE Renewables Director of Capital Projects, said: “The announcement today cements SSE Renewables’ and Equinor’s commitment to developing long term jobs and economic benefit in the UK and we are very pleased to welcome the Port of Tyne to the project.
“The Operations and Maintenance base will bring significant socio-economic benefits to the local area during construction and throughout the projects lifetime, as we have seen on our previous offshore wind projects including Beatrice.
“Dogger Bank will help drive the transition to a net zero future and we are continuing our work to construct the largest offshore wind farm in the world safely.”
Stephen Bull, Senior Vice President for Equinor’s North Sea New Energy Solutions, and Chair of Renewable UK, said: “The UK government has legislated to cut carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. Major scale renewable energy projects like Dogger Bank ensures Britain’s leadership as the #1 offshore wind nation. Moreover, the project brings new investment to the UK, at a challenging time for us all, and secures over 200 jobs in the region as well as new opportunities in a future-fit growth sector.
“The North East has a strong industrial heritage and a supply area that stretches north and south of the River Tyne. With a strong low-carbon vision for the future; as well as targets to become net zero in its own operations by 2030 the Port of Tyne is clearly well set up to attract future investments which we hope will complement our activities.
“We are extremely proud that our skilled teams will operate the world’s largest offshore wind farm from here and look forward to becoming part of the community, and strengthening our low-carbon commitment to the North East.”
Matt Beeton, Chief Executive Officer of the Port of Tyne, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have been selected by Equinor and SSE Renewables as the port of choice to house the Operations and Maintenance base for the largest offshore wind farm in the world. This is clearly a very important milestone in attracting such leading names in offshore power generation to the Port but it’s also extremely important for the wider region in terms of local supply chain and employment opportunities.
The jobs required to operate an offshore wind farm include maintenance technician roles, that will predominately be based offshore, as well as office-based teams to support the operations from land. The main recruitment activity will begin in early 2022 and ramp up as the project nears operation, with the first phase due to begin producing electricity in 2023.
The project is also committed to engaging with the UK supply chain, to ensure that UK companies have the chance to get involved, whether it be directly or through one of the project’s Tier One and Two suppliers. An online procurement portal has been established and meet the buyer events will be held in due course, to encourage UK companies to get involved.
