16th November 2021 in Construction, Press releases, Project news, Supply Chain
The world’s largest offshore wind farm is once again benefiting from supply chain expertise in the north-east of England as it continues site preparation work for the installation of turbines in the North Sea.
Working in collaboration with Global Maritime, Newcastle-based Ryder Geotechnical, a Tekmar Group company, delivered a site-specific assessment in preparation for the installation of 190 turbines for the first two phases of Dogger Bank Wind Farm.
The wind farm is being built in three phases; Dogger Bank A, B and C, and when complete will be able to generate around 5% of the UK’s electricity. The project will use the world’s first Ultra-Low emissions jack-up vessel to install turbines 130km out to sea, off the North East coast of England.
Turbines are installed by a jack-up vessel, a ship that extends legs down to the seabed and lifts itself up to provide a stable platform to perform installation from. Ryder’s role in this project was to assess the geological conditions above and below the seabed surface at both sites and provide geotechnical information ahead of the jack-up operations. The geotechnical information is used to advise on the seabed load bearing and other parameters needed for installation.
Steven Metcalfe, lead engineer on the project from Ryder said “We’re delighted to have this opportunity to work on the world’s largest offshore wind farm. The site was particularly complex geologically due to soft clay layers sandwiched between firmer sand layers, but working closely with Global Maritime we were able to fully assess these holistically, and develop solutions for the safest operations.”
Dogger Bank A and B is a joint venture between SSE Renewables (40%), Equinor (40%) and Eni (20%). In November 2021 SSE Renewables and Equinor, 50:50 joint venture partners in Dogger Bank C, announced Eni will take a 20% stake in the final phase, with SSE Renewables and Equinor maintaining 40% stakes each, in a deal that is expected to complete in Q1 2022 (subject to Dogger Bank C Financial Close and regulatory approvals).
SSE Renewables is leading on the construction of the wind farm and Equinor will operate the wind farm for its expected lifetime of 35 years.
Halfdan Brustad, Vice President for Dogger Bank at Equinor said: “This site-specific assessment carried out by Ryder Geotechnical is essential for us to confirm the turbine fixing requirements ahead of construction and to understand any geotechnical risk to jack-up operations, ensuring safe installation offshore. It’s another great example of UK expertise helping us to deliver the wind farm safely and efficiently as we prepare for offshore installation to commence in 2022.”
12th November 2021 in Press releases, Project news, Supply Chain
Dogger Bank Wind Farm has signed a contract with Sif-Smulders consortium for all 87 monopiles and transition pieces for the third phase of the world’s largest offshore wind farm.
Sif and Smulders were awarded contracts to provide the wind turbine foundations for the first two phases of Dogger Bank in November 2020, and have since awarded subcontracts to South Tyneside-based Metec and Rochdale-based Granada to work on this world-leading project.
The foundation fabrication and supply contract for Dogger Bank C is subject to financial close on Dogger Bank C which is expected in late 2021.
In the project-specific Sif-Smulders consortium, Sif is responsible for fabrication and supply of monopiles and primary steel for the transition pieces, and for the marshalling of all foundation components at its Maasvlakte 2 Rotterdam terminal. Smulders will manufacture secondary steel and assemble, coat and test fully equipped transition pieces.
Dogger Bank Wind Farm Project Director, Steve Wilson, said:
“We’re delighted to expand our ongoing work with Sif and Smulders on the first two phases of the windfarm with this contract for DBC. The consortium will supply monopiles and transition pieces that are among the largest to be installed on any offshore wind farm and which continue to push the boundaries of foundation design.”
Fred van Beers, CEO of Sif Holding said:
“We are honoured by the confidence in our company that the developers of Dogger Bank Wind Farm express in their award of part C of the Dogger Bank Wind Farm to Sif, extending our order book to well into 2024 and allowing us time to prepare for expected demand for larger foundations for the period 2025 and beyond. We are a proud partner to Equinor/SSE/ENI for the landmark Dogger Bank Wind Farm project”.
Raf Lemants, Managing Director of Smulders:
“Smulders looks forward to continuing our partnership with SSE/Equinor for Dogger Bank C together with Sif. We are proud that we can share our knowledge and expertise and deliver the transition pieces for all three phases of the world’s largest offshore wind farm.”
Dogger Bank Wind Farm is being developed in three phases – Dogger Bank A, Dogger Bank B and Dogger Bank C – located more than 130km from the Yorkshire coast and the world’s largest offshore wind farm when complete.
Dogger Bank A and B is a joint venture between SSE Renewables (40%), Equinor (40%) and Eni (20%). In November 2021 SSE Renewables and Equinor, 50:50 joint venture partners in Dogger Bank C, announced Eni will take a 20% stake in the final phase, with SSE Renewables and Equinor maintaining 40% stakes each. The deal is expected to complete in Q1 2022, subject to Dogger Bank C Financial Close and regulatory approvals.
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12th November 2021 in Press releases, Project news, Supply Chain, Uncategorised
Dogger Bank Wind Farm has awarded the contract for the transport and installation of monopile foundations and transition pieces on the third phase of what will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm to Seaway 7 ASA.
The contract award is subject to Dogger Bank C reaching Financial Close by the end of 2021.
The 3.6GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm, which is to be built more than 130km off the Yorkshire coast in the North Sea, is currently being developed in three 1.2GW phases: Dogger Bank A, B and C.
Seaway 7 ASA has already been appointed the foundation installation contract for both Dogger Bank A and B. Under this latest contract, Seaway 7 ASA will utilise its specialist Heavy Lift Vessel Alfa Lift, which is set to be the world’s largest and most efficient custom-built offshore wind foundation vessel. Installation by the company of offshore foundations on the 1.2GW Dogger Bank C of will commence in 2024 following the foundation installation of the Dogger Bank A and B phases.
Stuart Fitzgerald, Chief Executive Officer of Seaway 7, said:
“We are pleased to now have been awarded the work to install foundations on all three phases of the world’s largest offshore wind farm. We look forward to executing the work with quality and safety at the forefront and to working closely with our customer to deliver on the project objectives.”
Steve Wilson, Project Director for Dogger Bank Wind Farm, said:
“It’s great to be able to confirm that Seaway 7 has been awarded this contract. The Alfa Lift is one of the most innovative heavy transportation and installation vessels on the market and we are very pleased to have them working with us across all three phases as we deliver this ground-breaking project.”
Dogger Bank A and B is a joint venture between SSE Renewables (40%), Equinor (40%) and Eni (20%). In November 2021 SSE Renewables and Equinor, 50:50 joint venture partners in Dogger Bank C, announced Eni will take a 20% stake in the final phase, with SSE Renewables and Equinor maintaining 40% stakes each. The deal is expected to complete in Q1 2022, subject to Dogger Bank C Financial Close and regulatory approvals.
SSE Renewables is leading on the development and construction of Dogger Bank Wind Farm, and Equinor will operate the wind farm on completion.
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2nd November 2021 in Press releases, Project news
- Eni to take 20% stake in the third phase of world’s largest offshore wind farm.
- Combined value of equity consideration is GBP £140m or GBP £70m to both SSE Renewables and Equinor for each 10% stake.
- SSE Renewables and Equinor each to maintain 40% stakes in Dogger Bank C.
- SSE Renewables to continue to lead construction of the project.
- Equinor retains responsibility as lead operator for wind farm’s operational life.
SSE Renewables and Equinor have today confirmed that Eni, already a partner on the first two phases of Dogger Bank Wind Farm, will also join as a partner in the third phase of the world-leading offshore wind farm project.
Located over 130km off the north-east coast of England, Dogger Bank Wind Farm is being built in three 1.2GW phases and will be the largest offshore wind farm in the world when operational, with an overall capacity of 3.6GW.
The 1.2GW third phase of Dogger Bank won a CfD in the 2019 auction and is currently jointly owned 50/50 by SSE Renewables and Equinor. Dogger Bank C is being developed on a different timescale to the first two phases, Dogger Bank A and B, which are being constructed at the same time.
Today’s transaction will see SSE Renewables and Equinor each selling a 10% stake in Dogger Bank C to Eni, resulting in Eni taking a 20% equity stake in the third phase of the world’s largest offshore wind farm. The combined value of the equity consideration is GBP £140m, or GBP £70m to both SSE Renewables and Equinor for each 10% stake. Both SSE Renewables and Equinor will each maintain 40% stakes in Dogger Bank C upon completion.
The transaction is expected to complete in Q1 2022 subject to Dogger Bank C reaching Financial Close, on track by the end of 2021, and to regulatory approvals and customary purchase price adjustments.
Today’s stake sale announcement to Eni follows a similar announcement last year that SSE Renewables and Equinor had sold a 20% stake in Dogger Bank A and B of to Eni (10% each by SSE Renewables and Equinor) in a deal that completed in February 2021. Upon completion of the Dogger Bank C transaction being announced today, the new overall shareholding in the 3.6GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm will be SSE Renewables (40%), Equinor (40%) and Eni (20%).
Extended partner alignment across all three phases of the project will enable further synergies across both the construction and operations phase of Dogger Bank Wind Farm.
SSE Renewables will continue to lead the development and construction of the overall wind farm, with Equinor retaining responsibility for operation for the wind farm’s life of around 35 years.
Dogger Bank Wind Farm Project Director, Steve Wilson, said:
“We are delighted to now have Eni on board as an industrial partner for all three phases of the project. This further strengthens the partnership between SSE Renewables, Equinor and Eni to deliver the world’s largest offshore wind farm. We are on track to reach financial close on Dogger Bank C by the end of the calendar year and progressing to programme with the onshore civil works on Teesside.”
Dogger Bank Wind Farm will be constructed over 130km out to sea off the north-east coast of England, where wind speeds are higher and more consistent than near to the shore. The ground-breaking project is breaking world records and pioneering new technology in its delivery. It will be the first project to use the largest commercially available turbine operating in the world today, the 14MW GE Haliade-X and due to its distance from shore, the first UK High Voltage Direct Current connected wind farm.
Onshore construction began in 2020 and is currently underway for Dogger Bank A and Dogger Bank B, with offshore construction on Dogger Bank A due to begin in Q2 2022. First power is expected in Summer 2023 and Summer 2024 for Dogger Bank A and B, respectively, with commercial operations to follow around 6 months later. Turbine installation for Dogger Bank C will begin in 2025.
Almost 3000 new UK jobs have been announced so far that will be supported by the construction and operation of Dogger Bank Wind Farm. These include up to 750 direct and around 1,500 indirect jobs associated with the set-up of a new world-class blade manufacturing facility on Teesside by LM Wind Power, a GE Renewable Energy business, with production due to start in 2023.
Once the three phases are complete, which is expected by March 2026, Dogger Bank will be the largest offshore wind farm in the world. Each phase of Dogger Bank will be able to produce 6TWh of renewable electricity, totalling 18TWh annually across all three phases – that’s enough renewable electricity to supply 5% of the UK’s demand and equivalent to powering six million UK homes.
Read the SSE Renewables press release here.
Read the Equinor press release here.
Read the Eni press release here.
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For further information:
Media contact – Dogger Bank Wind Farm:
Jason Cooke, SSE Renewables
jason.cooke@sse.com
+353 (0) 86 264 6710
19th October 2021 in Events, Project news
- Event Date: 2nd November 2021
- Location: Livestreamed from Energy UK's Youtube channel
As part of Renewable UK and Energy UK’s Energy Transition Hub at COP26, Dogger Bank Wind Farm is holding a virtual game of BINGO to share updates on the world’s biggest offshore wind farm.
The session will be held on 2 November from 12:30 – 13:30 and be accessible via a live link to the Energy Transition Hub, where anyone can join and see the game taking place.
Dogger Bank is currently in construction and when complete will be able to provide 6 million UK homes with homegrown renewable electricity.
The first 100 people to sign up will receive a unique BINGO card and be able to play for the chance to win a model GE Haliade-X turbine, the pioneering turbine that will power all three phases of the project.
Two rising stars from the project – Lila Vazquez Villamor, Electrical Engineer at SSE Renewables and Sam Drury, Renewables Graduate at Equinor – will host the game, asking Project Director, Steve Wilson, and Operations Leader, Felicity Wann to expand on the topics as they are pulled out.
Register here and you will receive an email containing further information closer to the event.
Good luck!
