10th May 2022 in Construction, Press releases, Project news, Supply Chain
The first of a number of transformers that will enable the transmission of renewable energy from the world’s largest offshore wind farm has been delivered.
The transformers will play an integral role in the operation of three onshore convertor stations in East Riding of Yorkshire and on Teesside, that will eventually convert the current from the wind farm for transmission via the national grid network to 6 million UK homes.
This week the first transformer was successfully transported from Port of Hull to the first convertor station off the A1079 near Beverley in East Riding, where construction of a second convertor station is also underway by tier one supplier Hitachi Energy. Three further deliveries are scheduled in East Riding on the mornings of 15, 22 and 29 May, with deliveries for the second East Riding convertor station taking place in 2023.
Heavy lift and transportation specialist Allelys, was appointed by Hitachi Energy to carry out and oversee these latest deliveries.
Dogger Bank Wind Farm Transmission Package Manager Børge Angelfloss, said:
“Successful delivery of the first transformer is an important milestone for our world-leading project.
“Our thanks go to all those involved in ensuring this happened safely, including the local highways authority and representatives from Humberside Police for their valuable expertise on the route between Port of Hull and our convertor station site.”
Hitachi Energy is due to start work on the third convertor station on Teesside later this year. The company is responsible for providing its high-voltage direct current (HVDC) Light® systems for all three phases of the wind farm, including the projects three high-tech onshore convertor stations.
Göran Isacsson, Project Director for Hitachi Energy, said:
“Hitachi Energy is proud to be connecting the Dogger Bank Wind Farm to the energy grid using HVDC (high voltage direct current) technology.
“The delivery and installation of the transformers at the onshore converter stations we are building are important milestones for the project. We are pleased to have successfully achieved this first shipment and we thank the local authorities and community for their support and patience.”
Dogger Bank Wind Farm is being built in three phases known as A, B and C. The project is a joint venture between SSE Renewables (40%), Equinor (40%) and Eni Plenitude (20%).
It will be the first HVDC connected wind farm in the UK, paving the way for other UK wind farms and suppliers to build on our experience transmitting renewable energy safely and efficiently across long distances while minimising potential losses.
Last month the Dogger Bank Wind Farm team officially marked the start of its offshore construction work with the installation of the first length of HVDC export cable off the Yorkshire coast.
Tier one supplier NKT is leading the work to install the Dogger Bank A nearshore cable, that will connect the first phase of the windfarm more than 130km off the coast to a landfall point at Ulrome, in East Riding of Yorkshire.
ENDS
Picture caption: The first transformer has been delivered to the convertor station site for the first phase of Dogger Bank Wind Farm. Image source: Dogger Bank Wind Farm
9th May 2022 in Construction, Project news, Supply Chain
The first transition pieces for the first phase of Dogger Bank Wind Farm have been successfully loaded out at Smulders’ yard in Hoboken, Belgium. The transition pieces are being shipped to Sif’s Maasvlakte 2 terminal in Rotterdam ahead of their installation in the North Sea starting later this year.
In total, 95 transition pieces will be installed on Dogger Bank A, with a further 182 required for phases B and C of the world’s largest offshore wind farm.
Dogger Bank Wind Farm Marine Package Manager, Alan Evans, said:
“With a diameter of 8m and weighing in at 550 tonnes, the Dogger Bank A transition pieces are the heaviest and have the largest diameter of any to be manufactured at Smulders’ Hoboken facility.
“Successful load out of the first four of these impressive structures is an important milestone for everyone involved, and a testament to the strong partnership we share with our designers and manufacturers.”
In November 2020, the consortium Sif and Smulders was awarded the contract for the manufacture of all 190 monopiles and transition pieces for the first phases of the wind farm in November 2020, with a contract for Dogger Bank C awarded in 2021.
The monopile foundations and transition pieces for the project were designed in the UK by Wood Thilsted. Steel manufactured by Tata Steel in Wales and processed in Corby and Hartlepool is to be used in the supporting components of the transition pieces, while South Tyneside-based Metec and Rochdale-based Granada Material Handling have also won contracts with Smulders to support this innovative and world-leading project.
Caption: The first transition pieces for the first phase of Dogger Bank Wind Farm have been successfully loaded out at Smulders’ yard in Hoboken, Belgium. Image source: Smulders
29th April 2022 in Press releases, Project news, Supply Chain
The team building Dogger Bank Wind Farm has officially marked the start of its offshore construction work with the installation of the first length of HVDC export cable off the Yorkshire coast.
Tier one supplier NKT is leading the work to install the Dogger Bank A nearshore cable, that will connect the first phase of the windfarm more than 130km off the coast to a landfall point at Ulrome, in East Riding of Yorkshire.
Aberdeenshire-based ACE Winches and LMR Drilling UK Ltd of Birkenhead are among the companies supporting NKT with this work.
The campaign will continue during 2022, with work starting on the export cables for Dogger Bank B in East Riding, and Dogger Bank C on Teesside, in the consecutive years.
Dogger Bank Wind Farm will be the first HVDC connected wind farm in the UK, paving the way for other UK wind farms and suppliers to build on our experience transmitting renewable energy safely and efficiently across long distances while minimising potential losses.
Dogger Bank Wind Farm Project Director Steve Wilson, said:
“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.
“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 from this unrivalled global renewable energy asset.
“I’d like to extend my thanks to all those who’ve worked incredibly hard to reach this major offshore milestone.”
Dogger Bank Wind Farm is being built in three phases known as A, B and C. The project is a joint venture between SSE Renewables (40%), Equinor (40%) and Eni Plenitude (20%).
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 challenging North Sea conditions.
Head of Project Execution in NKT, Darren Fennell says:
“As a long term high-voltage DC technology partner to Equinor, Eni Plenitude and SSE, NKT is excited to have reached the installation phase of the Dogger Bank A near shore cables. The overall project is key for the continued European focus on increasing the use of renewable energy sources and we look forward to successfully completing the cable installations”.
LMR Drilling Managing Director, Jez Seamans said:
“It has been a fantastic project to be involved in, with the HDD landfalls forming a small but crucial part of the overall project linking the offshore power generating system with the onshore grid. It is great to see the first of the cables being installed into these landfall ducts, another step in the ongoing decarbonisation of UK power”.
ENDS
Picture caption: Offshore construction work has started on Dogger Bank Wind Farm with the first export cable installation successfully completed. Image source: Dogger Bank Wind Farm.
28th April 2022 in Construction, Press releases, Project news, Supply Chain
Dogger Bank Wind Farm’s tier one contractor Hitachi Energy will begin to transport electricity transformers from Hull to the project’s East Riding convertor station site near Cottingham from May 8.
The transformers will travel from Albert Dock, Hull via A63, A1034 and the A1079. The size of the transformers requires the use of abnormal load vehicles. There will be four deliveries during the month of May, expected to be made on the mornings of 8, 15, 22 and 29 May, with each delivery taking up to six hours, dependent on the conditions.
Rachel Lawrence, Community Engagement Manager for Dogger Bank Wind Farm, said:
“While we will do everything, we can to minimise disruption during these deliveries, it is it is possible some journey times may be slightly longer than normal and we would ask the public for their patience as we carry out this critical work.
“Our contractors will be working with officers from Humberside Police to ensure the transportation is carried out safely and securely, and with minimal impact on the communities close to these roads. Delivery of these transformers is an important milestone for the construction of our infrastructure in East Riding, which will be home to two of our three convertor stations for the world’s largest offshore wind farm.
“We are extremely grateful for the ongoing patience and understanding of the communities in this area as we build the infrastructure that will help the UK to reduce carbon emissions and create a secure electricity supply for 6 million UK homes.”
The transformers will be delivered on specialist girder frame trailers provided by UK firm Allelys. The trucks will be more than 58.2 metres long and 4.75 metres wide and will travel at approximately 10 -15 miles per hour. To support the delivery the team has worked with contractors and local highway officials from East Riding of Yorkshire Council to carefully plan the route and minimise disruption to road users. The specialist girder frame trailer will have a police escort to help manage traffic and make the process as smooth and safe as possible.
Overview of the route:
The delivery convoy consisting of the abnormal load vehicle, police and support vehicles will leave the Albert Dock in Hull and make its way westbound, along the A63 to join the A1034 at South Cave heading north. The convoy will then join the A1079 at Market Weighton, heading east until the outskirts of Beverley, where the vehicle will turn south remaining on the A1079 and is expected to arrive at the convertor station site entrance, located between Beverley and Cottingham in the afternoon on the specified dates.
The transformers will play an integral role in the operation of two onshore convertor stations in East Riding of Yorkshire that are currently under construction at the A1079 site between Beverley and Cottingham. Eventually they will convert the current from the wind farm for transmission via the national grid network to millions of UK homes after the renewable energy has made its way under the ground from the landfall point at Ulrome, between Bridlington and Hornsea.
Details of further transformer deliveries in 2023 will be communicated nearer the time.
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Picture caption: Allelys will deliver transformers to the Dogger Bank Wind Farm convertor station site from 8 May. Picture source: Allelys.
18th March 2022 in Supply Chain
Dogger Bank Wind Farm has awarded a contract for the transport and installation of the Dogger Bank C offshore substation to Heerema Marine Contractors.
The work will include transporting and installing the 3,500 metric ton jacket foundation, four main piles, and the 9,500 metric ton offshore substation topside. Heerema will perform offshore lifting to position the jacket foundation on the scour bed, using main piles to provide jacket on-bottom stability. The offshore substation will be lifted from a barge prior to set-down on the jacket foundation.
Dogger Bank C is the third phase of the world-leading Dogger Bank Wind Farm project, a joint venture offshore wind farm being constructed off the north-east coast of England by partners SSE Renewables, Equinor and Eni. Due to its size and scale, Dogger Bank is being built in three consecutive 1.2GW phases; Dogger Bank A, Dogger Bank B and Dogger Bank C. Dogger Bank C is around 560km² in size and at its closest point is 196km from shore.
SSE Renewables is leading the development and construction of Dogger Bank Wind Farm while Equinor will operate the wind farm on completion for its expected operational life of 35 years.
Steve Wilson, Project Director for Dogger Bank Wind Farm, said:
“Installation of the offshore substation on the third phase of Dogger Bank Wind Farm will be a significant moment for our world-leading project. We welcome Hereema to our strong team of tier one suppliers, and we look forward to working with them to install this innovative platform on the DBC site.”
Jeroen van Oosten, Heerema’s Wind Director, said:
“We are proud to be working together with valued clients SSE Renewables, Equinor, and Eni to deliver this historic project. Installing sizeable offshore substations is core business for Heerema Marine Contractors and we are looking forward to working together on the preparation and installation of Dogger Bank C.”
Dogger Bank Wind Farm will be the largest offshore wind farm in the world when operational in 2026, with an overall capacity of 3.6GW. In total the wind farm is expected to generate enough renewable electricity to supply 5% of the UK’s demand, equivalent to powering six million homes.
Caption: Dogger Bank Wind Farm has awarded a contract for the transport and installation of the Dogger Bank C offshore substation to Heerema Marine Contractors.
Picture source: Aibel
