Dogger Bank A Offshore Substation Topside Sets Sail

March 17, 2023, by Adnan Memija

The offshore substation topside built for the Dogger Bank A, the first phase of the 3.6 GW Dogger Bank offshore wind farm in the UK, has sailed away from Aibel’s yard in Haugesund, Norway, on 16 March.

In October 2019, Aibel was selected to deliver two platforms for the 2.4 GW Dogger Bank A and B phases, with an option for one more for the 1.2 GW Dogger Bank C.

The contract for the first two platforms was signed in November 2020 as the wind farm’s developers SSE Renewables and Equinor reached financial close for the first two phases. The contract for Dogger Bank C was signed following the financal close for the final phase in December 2021.

Aibel will deliver the Dogger Bank A substation in Q2 of 2023, Dogger Bank B is scheduled for Q2 of 2024, and the Dogger Bank C offshore platform is expected to be delivered in Q2 2025.

The topside for the Dogger Bank A substation was constructed at Aibel’s yard in Thailand and arrived in Norway in June 2022.

In Thailand, the topside set several records, including being the largest installation ever moved on Thai soil, according to Aibel.

During the stay in Haugesund, the platform was equipped with transformers, slings, and lifting equipment through several large lifting operations with big and small floating cranes.

Hitachi equipment was installed on the 40-metre-high structure with the yard’s new tower crane, according to Aibel.

Saipem is responsible for the transportation and installation of the Dogger Bank A and B substations, while Seajacks will support the hook-up and commissioning work on all three phases of the project.

The platform will receive electricity from 95 Haliade-X 13 MW wind turbines and convert it into 320 kilovolts of direct current, which will then be sent to shore.

The 3.6 GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm is being built in three 1.2 GW phases some 130 kilometres off the UK coast.

Once completed, the offshore wind farm will have the capacity to power six million British households. The project is a joint venture between SSE Renewables (40 per cent), Equinor (40 per cent) and Vårgrønn (20 per cent).