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Hornsea Two construction underway; North Falls and Dogger Bank to follow

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While the government increases its target for offshore wind, three new and proposed North Sea wind farms are moving forward, with construction of Hornsea Two getting started, an extension to Greater Gabbard on the cards and Dogger Bank A and B deciding on which turbines to use.

First, developer Ørsted’s Hornsea Two offshore wind farm has seen the start of significant infrastructure installed offshore. In August, a 5,000-tonne steel framework for the wind farm’s offshore substation jackets sailed from Batam in Indonesia to the UK – it has now been installed into its final position. Since then, the first of 165 turbine foundations has been installed on location, by a team working onboard DEME Group’s Innovation vessel, travelling from Emshaven port in the Netherlands.

Ørsted expects that Innovation will complete 40–50 foundations, before handing over to the Pacific Orca, which is chartered by DEME.

Located 89 km off the Yorkshire Coast, Hornsea Two will have a capacity of 1.4 GW and cover an offshore area of 460 km2 when complete.

Second, SSE Renewables and RWE Renewables have joined forces to develop an extension to the operational 504 MW Greater Gabbard Offshore Wind Farm, located more than 20 km off the UK coast in the southern North Sea. The co-owners of the existing wind farm have established a joint venture company and signed an agreement for lease with the Crown Estate, securing an option to develop an extension project on the site covering a total of 150 km2.

The project has been named North Falls Offshore Wind Farm, after the North Falls sandbank located at the southern tip of the proposed site.

The agreement for lease means the extension project can now begin its development activity in earnest, including onshore and offshore surveys and studies to inform the environmental assessment. The North Falls Offshore Wind Farm will comprise wind turbines on fixed foundations, plus dedicated offshore and onshore electrical infrastructure. 

Last, Dogger Bank Wind Farm and GE Renewable Energy have announced contracts confirming use of the 13 MW Haliade-X turbine for the Dogger Bank A and Dogger Bank B phases of what will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm – subject to the proposed wind farms reaching financial close.

The contract award includes an order for 190 offshore wind turbines to be installed off the north-east coast of England, split evenly at 95 turbines for each of the first two phases of Dogger Bank Wind Farm.

This will be the first time a giant, 13 MW Haliade-X is installed in the world. According to GE, one spin of the turbine can generate enough electricity to power a UK household for more than two days.

As part of the agreement, GE will establish its marshalling harbour activities at Able Seaton Port in Hartlepool, which will serve as the base for turbine service equipment, installation and commissioning activities for Dogger Bank. This will see delivery of component parts for each of the turbines to the port, including the nacelle, three tower sections and three 107 m long blades, for pre-assembly on-site prior to transport out to the North Sea for installation. Turbine installation is expected to commence in 2023 at Dogger Bank A.

Photo: Ørsted

News Item details


Journal title: Energy World

Organisation: RWE|Ørsted|SSE Renewables

Subjects: Offshore wind power, Renewables

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