9th November 2023 in Operations, Press releases
- Three new apprentices join Dogger Bank Wind Farm
- Apprenticeship training for future wind farm turbine technicians started for the first time
- Represents a contribution to skills training and technical education in the UK offshore wind industry
Three new apprentices have started their training with Dogger Bank Wind Farm, based from the operations and maintenance base in South Tyneside, North East England. The apprentices are starting their training in a variety of roles, including electrical engineering and warehouse logistics.
Over the next two years, the three apprentices will be fully immersed in the operations, maintenance, and logistics of the wind farm, all while gaining the skills required for a career in the renewables sector. Each will also gain a professional qualification in their respective field.
Two apprentices will learn the skills needed to maintain the giant 260 meter tall turbines featured on the wind farm, which are located in the North Sea, more than 130km from the North East coastline, gaining a L3 MOET qualification and a foundation degree in engineering. This will include high voltage training, addressing a future skill gap and enabling the apprentices to support the first UK High Voltage Direct Current connected offshore wind farm at Dogger Bank.
Bridie Gallagher, 18, has started an apprenticeship in electrical engineering, where she will gain knowledge of the operations and maintenance of offshore wind turbines. She said “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to learn and work in the renewable energy industry, right from my hometown in South Shields. Being part of the team working on the largest offshore wind farm in the world is incredibly exciting.”
Another new starter, Jamie Edwards, age 18, started an apprenticeship in wind operations maintenance and logistics, where he will be a part of the team responsible for supplying essential components to the wind farm. He said “I was drawn to the idea of pursuing an apprenticeship because I wanted a hands-on learning experience, making this opportunity perfect for me. I am eager to begin working alongside the team and pursuing my qualifications.”
Over 2,000 jobs have been created or supported so far in the UK in relation to the construction and operation of the wind farm, including400 long-term roles created in association with the wind farm’s operations base in South Shields, England.
Mark Halliday, Operations Director at Dogger Bank Wind Farm, said: “Apprenticeships will play a crucial role in the long-term success and operation of our wind farm”
“We are committed to providing early career development opportunities. Apprenticeships offer a mutually beneficial pathway for both us and the apprentices, as they gain specialised skills and competencies that enhance their career prospects. By investing in apprenticeships, we also benefit from having highly skilled and motivated employees who can work on the Dogger Bank Wind Farm across its planned 35-year lifespan.”
Dogger Bank Wind Farm is proud to be supporting and developing talent within the industry. For more information about opportunities at Dogger Bank can be found here: https://doggerbank.com/recruitment/
1st November 2023 in Construction, Press releases, Project news, Supply Chain
Boston Energy has secured a contract with Ge Vernova to provide mechanical and electrical expertise during the construction of Dogger Bank Wind Farm.
The East Riding of Yorkshire-headquartered firm will undertake onshore commissioning and completion work at Able Seaton in Hartlepool, as well as offshore mechanical and electrical (M&E) completion and offshore commissioning.
The work will involve more than 190 UK based personnel at its peak, and represents Boston’s largest ever single award in offshore wind.
Dogger Bank Wind Farm Commercial Director, Simon Bailey, said:
“It’s great to see another key contractor creating job opportunities to support the construction of Dogger Bank Wind Farm. Construction and commissioning of turbine technology is a critical element of our programme that will help us to steadily ramp up to full operating capacity of 3.6GW by 2026.”
Nathan Fahey, Project Director at GE Vernova, said:
“We have been working with Boston Energy since the contract award for offshore commissioning of the Dogger Bank Wind Farm and I’m really pleased to have them as a trusted partner as we move into the operational phase of the project.
“I trust the team will deliver the expected results, at the quality and execution standards we want to provide to our customer.
“We are very much looking forward to working with Boston Energy to help us deliver this fantastic project utilising our Haliade-X turbines. Delivering this project will significantly enhance the UK’s net zero ambitions and help make a substantial dent in CO2 emissions.”
Julian Cattermole, CEO of Boston Energy, said:
“We’re thrilled that GE Vernova have entrusted us to deliver the onshore and offshore commissioning of this truly exciting, and transformative project.
“GE has recognised that Boston Energy has a very strong track record of delivering exceptional quality on its projects as well as ensuring it delivers to budget and to the highest safety and environmental standards.
“We now need to get on and deliver to those same exacting standards that GE Vernova expects.”
To demonstrate its commitment to local content, Boston Energy has employed 80 per cent of its offshore team and 85 per cent of its onshore team from the North East of England, where pre construction activities are taking place.
26th October 2023 in Operations, Project news, Supply Chain
The second of North Star’s new offshore wind fleet, the Grampian Derwent, has been delivered ahead of schedule to the Dogger Bank Wind Farm.
The vessel was named at a ceremony at the Dogger Bank Operations and Maintenance Base at the Port of Tyne in the South Shields, England, where Sophie Banham and Emma Simpson, successfully performed the good luck ritual of smashing a champagne bottle against the ship’s hull during the traditional celebration.
Sophie Banham, who was first involved in the Dogger Bank Wind Farm in 2008, has been chosen as the ship’s godmother. Emma Simpson, daughter of Euan Simpson, Dogger Bank Marine Supervisor, has been named the goddaughter of the Alison Kay daughter craft vessel, which will be permanently stationed on the Grampian Derwent.
The name of the daughter craft honours Alison Kay, who established The People’s Kitchen in Newcastle upon Tyne as a means of providing food and hope to individuals who are homeless and sleeping on the streets of the city.
The vessel belongs to the VARD 4 12-design and is one of four that will be used for at least ten years to support operations and maintenance at the Dogger Bank Wind Farm, located 130km off the coast of Yorkshire in the North Sea. The vessel joins the Grampian Tyne vessel, which was delivered to the wind farm in June 2023.
The design provides high-quality accommodation to offshore wind turbine technicians, as well as a centralised logistics hub configured to handle cargo and act as a functioning warehouse offshore for Dogger Bank, which will become the largest offshore wind farm upon completion.
26th October 2023 in Construction, Supply Chain
Sofia Offshore Wind Farm and Dogger Bank C, the third phase of Dogger Bank Wind Farm, will begin transporting electricity transformers from Teesport to the home of both projects’ onshore converter station sites near Lazenby from late October into mid-December.
There will be four Sofia deliveries anticipated, starting on the Saturday mornings of 28 October and 4, 11 and 18 November. Each delivery will take approximately one hour, depending on the conditions.
There will also be a series of deliveries to support Dogger Bank C Wind Farm’s converter station construction programme. The transformers will take the same route and commence on 18 November, followed by 25 November and 2 and 9 December.
The transformers will travel from Teesport via the A1015 and A174 and will be delivered on specialist girder frame trailers provided by UK firm Allelys. The size of the transformers requires the use of abnormal load vehicles due to being approximately 35m long and 4.55m wide – with the load travelling at roughly 10 -15 miles per hour.
Chris O’Donnell, Site Manager for DBC Onshore Converter Station said:
“While we will do everything we can to minimise disruption during these deliveries, it is possible some journey times may be slightly longer than normal and we would ask occupants and local residents for their patience as we carry out this critical work.”
“Delivery of these transformers is an important milestone for the construction of our infrastructure in Redcar.”
“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.”
Matthew Archer, Site Manager for Sofia Onshore Converter Station said:
“Sofia will be RWE’s most state-of-the-art offshore wind farm yet and a major addition to our growing portfolio of renewable energy assets.”
“Work on the station at Wilton continues at pace, and the arrival of these transformers is an important moment for the project.”
“As ever I’d like to thank the local community for their patience. We’re doing our best to keep disruption down to a minimum at all times. In this instance we expect that there may be some minor disruption to the roads linking Teesport to our Wilton site, with some journey times taking a little longer around mid-morning on affected days.”
Sofia and Dogger Bank C’s contractors GE and Hitachi Energy are currently working on the two projects’ respective onshore converter stations (OCS), that will convert electricity from the two offshore wind farms into a current that will go into the national grid network for distribution to homes and businesses.
The projects are both located on Dogger Bank, more than 195 kilometres 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. Although they are owned by different companies, the developers realised early that it made sense to work jointly on their shared cable corridor, with civil engineering works being carried out by J Murphy & Sons (JMS). Sofia is leading the works on behalf of both projects.
If you’d like to know more about either project, please visit: Sofia Offshore Wind Farm or Dogger Bank Wind Farm
We also provide regular updates on our social media channels @DoggerBankWind and @sofiawindfarm
Delivery dates were correct at the date of issue; however they may be subject to potential change at short notice.
ENDS
13th October 2023 in Operations, Project news, Supply Chain
Certex UK’s Great Yarmouth based Engineering Services Division has won a major framework to supply statutory inspection and maintenance services on Dogger Bank Wind Farm.
The contract covers inspection and maintenance of cranes, personnel lifts, general lifting, and safety equipment across all the wind turbines and balance of plant.
Terry Hoenes, Renewables Divisional Manager, Certex UK said: “We have a long-established history working with Equinor on the Greater Wash windfarms off East Anglia and are delighted to have been awarded the 5-year framework. Our hard work over the years providing a strong service and the work put in to produce a competitive tender have paid off and we look forward to starting work on the GE platform wind turbine, the first of its kind in the UK”.
Certex UK Engineering Services Division is part of the Lifting Solutions Group of 22 companies with over 100 locations worldwide, with the renewable energy sector largely being served to date from the UK, Taiwan, and Denmark. However, a newly launched global renewables division incorporates additional companies in Germany, Spain, France, China, and the United States, which has recently pivoted towards wind energy.
Ian Shaw, Engineering Services Divisional Manager, said:
“This is another great step forward for our Engineering Services Division, and working closely with Equinor, gives us the opportunity to introduce more new starters to the industry through our mentorship and training programmes. Equinor has always been an excellent ambassador for development of new starters which helps us to grow a sustainable skilled workforce.” Shaw added “The wider renewables industry growth is continually accelerating, and we need to ensure the supply chain and pool of skilled workers are available, to play our part in this we have developed a route to career programme covering the entry level GWO safety training at our newly accredited facility in Doncaster and the technical inspection training at our site in Great Yarmouth. We have also recently started working with ex forces resettlement agencies and look forward to introducing many more new people to a career in wind”.
