Construction starts on Dogger Bank, the world’s largest offshore wind farm

Onshore work on the world’s biggest offshore wind project – Dogger Bank – is underway on the Yorkshire coast.

It’s a remarkable feat, capable of powering 4.5m homes once complete – that’s 5% of the electricity demand in the UK. The joint venture between SSE Renewables and Equinor is planned to install capacity of 3.6GW across three sites in the North Sea.

Blades more than 100m long will power the mega-turbines, which will stand 220m tall and would tower over the London Eye, a smidge shorter than the Eiffel Tower. They’re almost a third more powerful than any of the usual turbines used in other offshore projects.

John Lavelle, the offshore wind lead at GE Renewable (which manufactured the Haliade-X turbines, said: “We have an important role to play in the UK’s offshore wind ambitions and in delivering further carbon emission reductions.”

And it’s not just the sheer size which wows. People are getting even more excited because this is a new era in offshore wind, one which will create renewable energy at no additional cost to consumers. Dogger Bank’s contract will see it pay developers in the region of £40 per MWh – which is less than the current market price for electricity in the wholesale market.

There are three sites: Creyke Beck A, Creyke Bank B and Teesside A. Coastal prep for Creyke A and B is ongoing with around 32km of onshore cable infrastructure being installed alongside bulk earthworks for the HVDC converter stations in East Riding. They’re using HVDC due to the length between the sites (up to 200km from shore) to bring power from the turbines to the grid. The route will be built adjacent to the A1079 road.

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,” commented Steve Wilson, the 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.”

Jones Bros contracts director Garod Evans said: “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.

“There will be up to 100 Jones Bros personnel, from management to apprentices and trainees, on site at the height of the works. This is a really significant project to be involved with and it’s exciting for us to play a part in delivering support to what will be the world’s biggest offshore wind farm.”

Full works are expected to take two years to complete.