Foundations are Laid for Largest Offshore Wind Farm

Foundations are Laid for Largest Offshore Wind Farm

Dogger Bank Wind Farm is currently in development just 130km off the coast of East Yorkshire and the Rix Renewables team is excited to watch this impressive project take shape.

In late July, not far from the Rix Renewables Grimsby head office, the turbine foundations at Dogger Bank, which will soon be the largest offshore wind farm in operation, began being laid.

With a target completion date in 2026 and an estimated operational lifespan of 35 years, the wind farm will consist of 3 different sites within the Dogger Bank offshore development zone: Dogger Bank A, B, and C. Overall, Dogger Bank will host 277 wind turbines and, when completed, will produce 3.6GWs worth of energy: enough to power six million UK homes.

Dogger Bank A will produce 1.2 GW of energy. The foundations are currently being installed by Seaway 7, with the turbines scheduled to begin installation in 2023. Once the wind farm is operational, Dogger Bank A and B will send the power they generate to the Creyke Beck substation in Cottingham before connecting to the national grid. Dogger Bank C will send its energy through the Lackenby Substation in Teeside.

The project is an investment by SSE Renewables, Equinor, and ENI Plenitude, with support from DEME and designs by Wood Thilsted. Using UK-manufactured steel, the foundations for such a project are no easy feat. The installation is taking place in depths of up to 32 meters in the middle of the North Sea. SSE Renewables Project Director Steve Wilson  has said that this installation “demonstrates the continued innovation in our sector as we begin to install increasingly larger and more powerful turbines that are needed to fuel our homes and businesses safely and securely in a net zero world.”

Lucien Romagnoli, Business Unit Director Renewables at DEME Offshore has also said of the foundations that “These unique foundations are huge, but also, they are technically complex. This is an important moment for the offshore wind industry and the energy transition.”

Rix Renewables looks forward to keeping up to date with the installation of this monumental and innovative wind farm over the course of its development during the next 3 years.

If you are interested in vessels or skilled technicians for your renewables projects, get in touch with us today.