Onshore work begins for Dogger Bank Wind Farms

Construction work for Dogger Bank, the world’s biggest offshore wind project, is underway on the Yorkshire coast.

A joint venture between SSE Renewables and Equinor (formerly Statoil), Dogger Bank Wind Farms will eventually see 3.6GW of installed capacity spread equally across three sites in the North Sea: Creyke Beck A, Creyke Beck B and Teesside A. According to the developers, the completed project will deliver five per cent of the UK’s electricity demand, powering around 4.5 million homes.

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Coastal preparation for Creyke Beck A and B is the first part of the project to break ground, with onshore cable infrastructure being installed as well as bulk earthworks for the HVDC (High Voltage Direct Current) converter stations in East Riding. The three sites that make up Dogger Bank are located between 130km and 200km offshore, meaning HVDC is needed to transmit power from the 12MW wind turbines back to the grid.

Jones Bros Civil Engineering of North Wales will lead the onshore work, which will see approximately 20 miles of ducted electrical cables installed, as well as two HVDC stations and connections to the existing Creyke Beck National Grid substation at Cottingham, just outside Hull.

“Getting the first spade in the ground is a significant milestone on any project, but for what will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm, this is a major moment for a project that has already been over a decade in the making,” said Steve Wilson, managing director of the joint venture.

“Dogger Bank Wind Farms will play a critical role in the UK’s effort to achieve net-zero through the use of low-carbon fuel sources and we’re incredibly pleased to work with one of the UK’s leading civil engineering contractors, Jones Bros, as we commence construction and start delivering Dogger Bank.”

The works contract also includes vegetation clearance, preparing access junctions and construction of a temporary access road to facilitate the main works, as well as installation of pre-and post-construction land drainage. The full works are expected to take approximately two years to complete. First power from Dogger Bank is expected in 2023.

“There will be up to 100 Jones Bros personnel, from management to apprentices and trainees, on site at the height of the works,” said Garod Evans, contracts director at Jones Bros.

“We have worked with SSE Renewables on major schemes previously and we are delighted to be developing our partnership through working with them and now Equinor on the onshore works for Dogger Bank Wind Farms.”