24th May 2024 in Community News
Are you interested in renewable energy and eager to discover careers in this dynamic sector? Dogger Bank, set to become the world’s largest offshore wind farm, has teamed up with renowned charity Speakers for Schools to offer a unique virtual work experience. This initiative aims to provide students and young professionals with an insightful glimpse into the exciting world of renewable energy careers, all from the comfort of their own homes or classrooms.
Participants will gain invaluable insights from industry experts, engage in interactive sessions, and discover various career paths within renewable energy. ZEST, who provide electric vehicle charging solutions, and one yet to be announced renewable energy business, will also attend the session to give you everything you need to know to get involved in the UK’s green future!
Dogger Bank Wind Farm is currently under construction over 130 km from the UK coastline and will power up to six million UK homes each year once complete. The wind farm will operate for a planned 35 years, creating a variety of unique jobs, including skilled turbine technicians, control room coordinators, electrical engineers, and environmental consultants who will all work together to harness clean energy and ensure a sustainable future.
Once complete, Dogger Bank will become the world’s largest offshore wind farm.
The sessions will take place between 10th – 12th July and can be easily accessed from any internet connected device. The deadline for applications is June 19th, 2024. Don’t miss this chance to power up your career in renewable energy with Dogger Bank and Speakers for Schools!
To apply, simply visit the application page here.
21st May 2024 in Community News
The importance of biodiversity is becoming increasingly recognised as vital to the health, wealth and happiness of our communities. The team at the Whitby Lobster Hatchery and adjoining Whitby Marine Discovery Centre is pleased to announce Dogger Bank and Sofia offshore wind farm projects have continued to pledge support for the project, which is committed to safeguarding lobster populations.
Aiming to release 100,000 juvenile lobsters back into the sea, the team at Whitby Lobster Hatchery is committed to ensuring the seas are sustainable and rich in diversity for years to come.
Operating under the charity name of North Sea Conservation, the team has high ambitions to provide the best opportunity for the coastline to remain healthy and productive. Working alongside its impressive potting fleet which boasts the 3rd largest catches in Europe, the fishing community bring ‘berried’ egg bearing female lobsters into the hatchery.
When the eggs hatch the hatchery team then provides everything the tiny lobster larvae need to give them the best chance to survive. After around 8 weeks of care in the hatchery the juvenile lobsters are released back into the sea.
The recently opened Marine Discovery Centre (on Whitby’s Peir Road), aims to provide a unique visitor experience, showcasing native marine biodiversity and providing a great opportunity for young and old to learn about fisheries, marine wildlife and the work of the Whitby Lobster Hatchery.
The support from the wind farm projects goes directly to supporting the work of both the Whitby Lobster Hatchery and the Marine Discovery centre, helping the project to deliver on its key aims of conservation, education and research.
Both wind farms are located on the Dogger Bank area of seabed, more than 80 miles from the north-east coast of England, with their export cables coming ashore on Teesside, between Redcar and Marske-by-the-Sea. Sofia is 100% owned by RWE, and Dogger Bank Wind Farm is a joint venture between SSE Renewables, Equinor and Vårgrønn. Offshore wind farms such as these will not only provide renewable energy and boost national energy security but also there’s an opportunity for windfarms to provide biodiversity benefit for oceans too.
General Manager of the Whitby Lobster Hatchery, Joe Redfern said:
“We have always had high ambitions from the impact our project can have on the marine environment. The support we have received from both offshore projects has been a huge help in starting to realise those ambitions. We are really grateful for their support and are glad to be working with them into the future.”.
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.
