16th May 2024 in Community News
- The scholarship fund supports students pursuing courses in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
- Scholarships are available to students in South Tyneside, Redcar and Cleveland, and East Riding of Yorkshire.
- 30 scholarships, each worth £5,000, will be offered this year to assist with educational expenses, as a component of a broader community fund initiative.
Dogger Bank Wind Farm is pleased to announce the opening of the fourth round of scholarships, part of its commitment to support local communities. The scholarships provide financial support to students from South Tyneside, Redcar and Cleveland, and East Riding of Yorkshire studying (STEM) courses at undergraduate level.
30 scholarships will be available in 2024 to students from these three areas to help with the cost of undergraduate level courses. The scholarships are a crucial component of Dogger Bank’s broader community fund initiative, which aims to support young people preparing for working life in a net zero world.
The wind farm has already supported 62 local students to date, helping students to focus on their studies by reducing the financial pressure of education. Physics, medicine, and robotics are just some of the subjects scholars have undertaken – something Dogger Bank is proud to have supported.
Kay Doragh, Community Investment Manager from Dogger Bank Wind Farm said:
“We know that the cost of living is putting more pressure on students, so we are delighted to be able to offer direct support through our fund and enable students to focus on their studies. We all benefit from young people developing skills in STEM and this fund makes sure that more young people will feel able to make the choice to enter higher education.”
Castor Scott, Electrical Engineering and Electronics student from South Tyneside said:
“Receiving this scholarship is not just a financial blessing; it is a vote of confidence in my potential and a testament to the importance of education. This scholarship will significantly alleviate the financial burden of pursuing my academic goals, allowing me to focus more on my studies and extracurricular activities.”
Paul Thomas, Mechanical Engineering student from Redcar and Cleveland said:
“The scholarship offered me great support during my study, allowing myself to fully concentrate on studying and worry less about financial burdens of education.
The result of my study has been very positive since graduation 11 months ago and has helped me move position in my employment.”
Millie Brazier, Medical student from East Riding of Yorkshire said:
“I am extremely grateful to have received this scholarship. Not only will it allow me to pursue my studies in medicine but it will make taking an intercalation year, to study and research new and developing technology, more possible. I think it’s fantastic that a local business has taken interest in supporting local students enter the world of STEM and feel so lucky to be one of them.”
Dogger Bank Wind Farm is located more than 130km from the North East coast and will generate enough renewable electricity to power six million UK homes. The project is a joint venture between Equinor, SSE Renewables, and Vårgrønn. 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. Vårgrønn brings offshore wind expertise to the project.
The wind farm, being built in three phases named A, B, and C, will connect to the National grid in East Riding of Yorkshire and in Teesside. The operations and maintenance base for the wind farm is in South Shields and will be used throughout its 35-year operational lifespan.
You can apply for the scholarship programme here.
Picture caption: Castor Scott, Electrical Engineering and Electronics student at Northumbria University.
14th May 2024 in Construction, Press releases, Project news
Image: Seaway7’s vessel Seaway Strashnov in operations on Dogger Bank Wind Farm.
The team working on what will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm, Dogger Bank, have started work on the foundation installation campaign for the second phase of the development.
Seaway7’s vessels Seaway Strashnov and Seaway Alfa Lift have commenced installation of monopile foundations and transition pieces for the Dogger Bank B phase of the offshore wind farm project.
The team recently completed installation of all 95 transition pieces on Dogger Bank A, thus concluding the installation of the foundations for the first phase of the project.
Olly Cass, Dogger Bank Wind Farm Project Director, said:
“These installation milestones are the result of years of commitment and diligence from the project team and its delivery partners. As the world’s largest wind farm of its kind and due to the deployment of new turbine technology, every aspect of the wind farm has required us to come up with new innovative design and engineering solutions that will shape the future construction of offshore wind globally. We extend our thanks and congratulations to the many companies and individuals who’ve risen to this challenge and contributed to the milestone we’re celebrating today.”
Wouter van Dalen, Project Director, Seaway7, said:
“We are happy to welcome Seaway Strashnov back to the project to commence foundation installation on Dogger Bank B – leading on from the vessel’s good performance last year on Dogger Bank A. After introducing our brand-new heavy lift vessel Seaway Alfa Lift to the project in October, the vessel operated through the high weather season installing transition pieces on Dogger Bank A, and now continues this work in phase B. The foundation installation scope is making excellent progress, enabled by our strong collaboration with our client Dogger Bank Wind Farm and our subcontractors.”
The monopile foundations and transition pieces provide a solid and stable base for the scale of GE Vernova’s groundbreaking 13MW Haliade-X turbines. The monopile and transition piece structures were manufactured by Sif and Smulders and are being installed 80-miles off the Yorkshire coast by tier one contractor Seaway7.
Monopiles are the large-diameter tube-shaped steel structures that are installed in the seabed by the vessel using dynamic positioning technology.
The monopiles weigh in at up to 1,424 tonnes each and can measure up to 72.8 metres in length. The Dogger Bank transition pieces feature a pioneering split-level design to support safe installation and operation and have a record-breaking 8m flange to connect the monopiles and transition piece structures.
Confirmation of this offshore milestone on Dogger Bank B follows on from the successful installation of the offshore HVDC platform for the second phase of the wind farm in April.
A total of 277 monopiles and transition pieces will be installed across all three phases of the wind farm, with completion due in 2026.
Steel manufactured by Tata Steel in Wales and processed in Corby and Hartlepool is being 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.
Designed in the UK by experts from Wood Thilsted, Dogger Bank Wind Farm’s foundations have been optimised to tackle challenging wave loads in the Dogger Bank area of the North Sea, with installation in water depths of up to 32m and at a minimum distance of 130km from shore.
9th May 2024 in Project news
Last week, damage was sustained to a single blade on an installed turbine at Dogger Bank A offshore wind farm. In line with safety procedures, the surrounding marine area has been restricted and relevant authorities notified. No one was injured or in the vicinity at the time the damage was sustained.
We are working closely with the turbine manufacturer, GE Vernova, which has initiated an investigation into the cause of the incident. Initial findings indicate that the circumstances surrounding the incident are isolated to the single blade affected.
Turbine installation has resumed, and other construction work on the wind farm continues.
17th April 2024 in Construction, Press releases, Project news, Supply Chain
Dogger Bank, set to become the world’s largest offshore wind farm, has achieved a significant milestone as the second unmanned High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) platform has been installed by Saipem.
The substation is the second of three platforms, each supplied by Aibel, to be installed at Dogger Bank offshore wind farm, which is being constructed in three phases known as A, B, and C, each with a capacity of 1.2GW.
The platform was installed 130km from the UK coastline at Dogger Bank B by Saipem using the Saipem 7000 vessel and features a Hitachi Energy HVDC system developed to transmit power more efficiently than traditional AC systems. The platform will receive 1.2GW of AC power generated by the 95 offshore wind turbines of Dogger Bank B, before converting it to DC for transmission to an onshore converter station located near Beverley in East Riding of Yorkshire.
The first platform was installed at Dogger Bank A in April 2023, representing the first time this technology has been used in offshore wind in the UK. All three platforms will be controlled from shore and feature a lean design, resulting in a 70% weight reduction per MW compared to previous platform designs.
Mads Andersen, CEO and President of Aibel said:
“At Aibel, we recognize that our success is not measured solely by the completion of projects but by the lasting impact we leave on the industry. With this major on-time delivery of Dogger Bank B, we mark another important milestone in Aibel’s transition towards a greener industry. This achievement exemplifies the power of collaboration and reflects the enduring partnerships we have cultivated with industry leaders SSE Renewables, Equinor, Vårgrønn, and our esteemed partner, Hitachi Energy”.
Andreas Berthou, Head of HVDC at Hitachi Energy’s Grid Integration business, said:
“The urgent energy transition requires strong collaboration, new business models, and global standards. We are proud to be the technology partner for the Dogger Bank Wind Farm project, with HVDC being the force multiplier for the clean energy transition, increasing access to an energy system that is more sustainable, flexible and secure. This is another significant milestone in securing the UK’s future energy needs, made possible by foresighted partners such as SSE Renewables, Equinor and Vårgrønn that have made the UK a leader in the transition to clean power.”
Measuring 75 meters long x 45 meters wide x 39 meters high, the platform utilises a four-legged steel jacket foundation structure designed and fabricated by Saipem in water depths of around 28 meters.
Gianalberto Secchi, COO of Saipem’s Offshore Wind Business Line, commented:
“We are proud to have contributed to the achievement of this important milestone for the groundbreaking Dogger Bank project, which reaffirms Saipem’s leadership in the offshore industry and our expertise in supporting Clients in the development of offshore wind farms as a key resource for the energy transition worldwide.”
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.”
