Dogger Bank B foundation work under way

The team working on what will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm, Dogger Bank, have started work on the foundation installation campaign for the second phase of the development.

Seaway7’s vessels Seaway Strashnov and Seaway Alfa Lift have started installation of monopile foundations and transition pieces for the Dogger Bank B phase of the offshore wind farm project.

The team recently completed installation of all 95 transition pieces on Dogger Bank A, concluding the installation of the foundations for the first phase of the project.

“These installation milestones are the result of years of commitment and diligence from the project team and its delivery partners,” said Olly Cass, Dogger Bank wind farm project director.

“As the world’s largest wind farm of its kind and due to the deployment of new turbine technology, every aspect of the wind farm has required us to come up with new innovative design and engineering solutions that will shape the future construction of offshore wind globally. 

“We extend our thanks and congratulations to the many companies and individuals who’ve risen to this challenge and contributed to the milestone we’re celebrating today."

The monopile foundations and transition pieces provide a solid and stable base for the scale of GE Vernova’s 13MW Haliade-X turbines. 

The monopile and transition piece structures were manufactured by Sif and Smulders and are being installed 80-miles off the Yorkshire coast by tier one contractor Seaway7.

Monopiles, tube-shaped steel structures installed in the seabed, weigh up to 1,424 tonnes each and can measure up to 72.8 metres in length.

Confirmation of this offshore milestone on Dogger Bank B follows on from the successful installation of the offshore HVDC platform for the second phase of the wind farm in April.

A total of 277 monopiles and transition pieces will be installed across all three phases of the wind farm, with completion due in 2026.

Steel manufactured by Tata Steel in Wales and processed in Corby and Hartlepool is being used in the supporting components of the transition pieces, while South Tyneside-based Metec and Rochdale-based Granada Material Handling have also won contracts with Smulders to support the project.

Dogger Bank is being developed and built by SSE Renewables in a joint venture with Norway’s Equinor and Vårgrønn (a joint venture of Eni Plenitude and HitecVision).