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.
ENDS
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
9th March 2022 in Community News, Operations, Press releases, Project news, Supply Chain
Construction of the Operations and Maintenance (O&M) base for Dogger Bank Wind Farm in the Port of Tyne has positively impacted the region’s economy with over £7.5 million re-invested throughout North-East England.
In line with the project objectives, Bowmer + Kirkland, principal contractor for the O&M base construction, are actively engaging local supply chain partners and throughout the duration of the scheme, a key focus has been placed on procuring goods and services locally.
To date, over £4.4million has been spent within the South Tyneside Local Authority area with supply chain partners, including South Tyneside based Castle Building Services Limited and Thompsons of Prudhoe Limited benefitting from the project. Numerous other sub-contractors from across the region including Newcastle based Chemplas Limited and Durham based Wyn Construction Limited have also been engaged on the project’s further £3.1million local spend.
Liz Wilson, B+K Project Manager for the Dogger Bank O&M base construction, said:
“Each project that B+K deliver provides an opportunity for us to significantly benefit the communities in which we operate. As a contractor with offices located in the North-East, we are committed to supporting regional growth by providing opportunities for local supply chain partners to engage with projects such as the Dogger Bank operations and maintenance base.”
The project, which is located at the Port of Tyne, has provided opportunities for a number of local companies including those classified as micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), which account for 89% of the supply chain. Packages equating to 95% of the construction cost to date, have been awarded to MSME’s.
Mark Halliday, Dogger Bank Operations Director, said:
“We are extremely proud to be working with so many local businesses for the construction of our operations and maintenance base. We will continue to bring more North-East expertise into the project as we move into the O&M phase in order for the local community to benefit from this world leading project.”
The project commenced in September 2021 and as the project progresses, and further work packages are made available, B+K will continue to engage with supply chain partners who are based in close proximity to the project with the aim of increasing the high level of regional investment already generated by the project. The project previously announced that the base will be constructed and operated in line with the UK Green Building Council’s (UKGBC) Net Zero Carbon Buildings Framework.
Dogger Bank Wind Farm is located more than 130km off the North-East coast of England and is being delivered by joint venture partners SSE Renewables, Equinor and Eni. SSE Renewables is leading on construction and delivery while Equinor will operate the wind farm on completion. 370 jobs have so far been created associated with the long-term operations of the wind farm from the Port of Tyne. In total, over 3,000 jobs have now been created or supported through the project.
Dogger Bank will be world’s largest offshore wind farm upon completion in 2026. 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. 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.
15th February 2022 in Project news, Supply Chain
An innovative new inter-array cable monitoring system that will help technicians identify and prevent potential faults is set to be deployed for the first time on Dogger Bank Wind Farm.
The ECG™ holistic cable monitoring system has been developed in the UK by Proserv Controls. It provides operators with real-time data for improved decision-making and supporting optimum operating efficiency.
The technology will be used for the first time on the first two phases of Dogger Bank Wind Farm, after the company was awarded a contract with Dogger Bank tier one supplier, DEME.
The Proserv order follows on from a cable protection system (CPS) contract being awarded to Darlington-based Tekmar Energy Limited. The Generation 10 TekTube contract with DEME is Tekmar’s largest CPS order to date.
More than 3,000 UK jobs have now been created or supported in relation to the construction and operation of Dogger Bank Wind Farm.
Halfdan Brustad, Vice President of Dogger Bank Wind Farm operations, said:
“In another world-first for the project, we’re looking forward to using this high-tech system to support us in optimising our assets during the operational phase.
“With vast experience in the oil and gas sector, Proserv are now translating their subsea experience into solutions for offshore wind. We’re excited to be supporting them on this journey as their first ECG customer, and we look forward to working with them, alongside DEME, as we continue to build this innovative and world-class wind farm.”
Paul Cook, Business Development Director – Renewables, Proserv Controls, stated:
“Dogger Bank represents one of the most important offshore wind projects under construction, so this success for our new ECG holistic cable monitoring system is a major endorsement of our market proposition, and a significant step forward in Proserv’s renewables strategy.
“We are delighted that DEME Offshore has chosen to work with us in the vital area of cable asset management and to utilise our exciting technology delivering synchronous, real-time monitoring.”
31st January 2022 in Construction, Press releases, Project news, Supply Chain
The jack-up vessel that will enter service for the first time to install the turbines on Dogger Bank Wind Farm has been officially launched.
Jan De Nul’s Voltaire will play a critical role in the installation of 277 GE Haliade-X turbines in the North Sea, more than 130km off the Yorkshire coast of England.
With a lifting capacity of more than 3,000 tonnes and a deck space equal to a football pitch, the ship is the largest of its kind in the world.
The next generation vessel was launched at the COSCO Shipping Shipyard in Nantong, China.
Steve Wilson, Dogger Bank Project Director, said:
“We congratulate Jan De Nul on successfully launching its unrivalled Jack up Vessel, the Voltaire. This impressive installation vessel will play a critical role in the construction of all three phases of Dogger Bank Wind Farm when it enters service, demonstrating an innovative engineering solution to the growing challenge presented by larger and more technically demanding wind farms.”
Dogger Bank wind farm agreed a contract with Jan De Nul for the transport and installation of turbines for the first two phases of the wind farm in 2019, with the Dogger Bank C contract following on last year.
The Voltaire will be able to run on second-generation biodiesel that reduces its fuel carbon footprint by up to 90%, and is also equipped with an advanced dual exhaust filter system, removing up to 99% of nanoparticles from emissions.
The launch of this environmentally-innovative vessel came just 20 days after Jan De Nul launched its Les Alizés ship to serve the growing demand from current and future wind farm projects.
Philippe Hutse, Director Offshore Division at Jan De Nul Group, said:
“The Voltaire will enable us to work in deeper waters and reach ever higher nacelle heights than before. Adding Voltaire and Les Alizés to the fleet gives us the perfect set of vessels to execute the growing number of large and clustered international offshore wind projects. Our forward-looking view on market trends and the quick decision making to invest in this set of Next Gen installation vessels, have done us no harm. The Voltaire and Les Alizés have all the required specifications to meet the upcoming challenges in offshore renewables. We are proud to be recognised for the choices we made back in 2019, and look forward to continuing our journey, alongside industry leaders, through our contribution to renewable energy growth in the worldwide energy transition.”
