GE Readying for Dogger Bank A & B Offshore Wind Turbine Installation, Eastgate Engineering Joins Pre-Assembly Team

March 28, 2023, by Adrijana Buljan

GE Renewable Energy has contracted Teesside-based company Eastgate Engineering for mechanical and electrical work for the pre-assembly of the towers and nacelles for the Dogger Bank Wind Farm offshore wind turbines, whose components started arriving at the marshalling port in January.

Haliade-X offshore wind turbine; Photo courtesy of GE Renewable Energy

Eastgate Engineering’s contract is expected to support approximately 90 local jobs including Electrical and Mechanical Technicians, Supervision and Project Management who will execute the installation, testing and commissioning works, including HV cable connection and VLF testing, associated with the pre-assembly of the three tower sections and nacelles, GE says.

The work will be done at Able Seaton Port, the Dogger Bank offshore wind farm marshalling harbour, where activities began in January and are expected to continue throughout all three phases of the pre-assembly for the Dogger Bank Wind Farm, which is set to conclude in 2026.

GE said it started preparing the marshalling harbour at the end of last year and began receiving the initial components for the wind farm in January 2023.

Mammoet UK, based in Thornaby Teesside, is responsible for onshore heavy lifting and transport for the staging and assembly of turbine components, under a contract the company signed with GE last year.

The contract with Eastgate Engineering marks another in a series of agreements GE signed with companies in the Teesside area, according to Nathan Fahey, GE Project Director for the Dogger Bank Wind Farm.

Dogger Bank Wind Farm Commercial Director, Simon Bailey, said: “Eastgate Engineering is a very welcome addition to our Dogger Bank Wind Farm supply chain, as they help us prepare for turbine installation later this year. The Billingham-based company is one of a number of firms in the north-east bringing expertise to our world-leading project, which is supporting more than 2,000 UK-based roles during construction and operation”.

The 3.6 GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm, being built by a joint venture between SSE Renewables (40 per cent), Equinor (40 per cent) and Eni Plenitude (20 per cent), is made up of three 1.2 GW phases, with Dogger Bank A & B going up first and Dogger Bank C to be built after that.

Offshore construction started last year at the Dogger Bank A site, where 95 monopile foundations are being installed with wind turbines to follow soon.

Dogger Bank A & B will comprise a total of 190 Haliade-X 13 MW turbines, while phase C will feature 87 Haliade-X 14 MW turbines.

The 3.6 GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm is scheduled to be fully built and operational in 2026.