Dogger Bank B Offshore Substation Installed

April 17, 2024, by Adrijana Buljan

Saipem, using its vessel Saipem 7000, has completed the installation of the offshore substation (OSS) at Dogger Bank B, the second phase of the 3.6 GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm in the UK, which is set to become the world’s largest offshore wind farm once in operation.

Saipem installing Dogger Bank B HVDC offshore substation platform — Photo courtesy of Dogger Bank Wind Farm

Saipem 7000 arrived this month at the Dogger Bank B site to put the OSS topside on top of the jacket foundation that was installed last year.

Measuring 75 metres in length, 45 meters in width, and 39 meters in height, the platform utilises a four-legged steel jacket foundation structure designed and fabricated by Saipem in water depths of around 28 metres, the Dogger Bank Wind Farm consortium (SSE Renewables, Equinor and Vårgrønn) said.

The Dogger Bank B offshore substation will receive 1.2 GW of AC power generated by the wind farm’s 95 offshore wind turbines, before converting it to DC for transmission to an onshore converter station located near Beverley in East Riding of Yorkshire.

This is the second unmanned High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) platform that has been installed on Dogger Bank Wind Farm, of the three the 3.6 GW project will comprise across its three 1.2 GW phases. The first OSS was installed at Dogger Bank A in April 2023, representing the first time this technology has been used on an offshore wind project in the UK.

The platform features a Hitachi Energy HVDC system developed to transmit power more efficiently than traditional AC systems, according to the Dogger Bank Wind Farm consortium.

The substation platforms for the three Dogger Bank Wind Farm phases are being delivered by Aibel.

Andreas Berthou, Head of HVDC at Hitachi Energy’s Grid Integration business, said: “The urgent energy transition requires strong collaboration, new business models, and global standards. We are proud to be the technology partner for the Dogger Bank Wind Farm project, with HVDC being the force multiplier for the clean energy transition, increasing access to an energy system that is more sustainable, flexible and secure. This is another significant milestone in securing the UK’s future energy needs, made possible by foresighted partners such as SSE Renewables, Equinor and Vårgrønn that have made the UK a leader in the transition to clean power.”

The first two 1.2 GW phases, Dogger Bank A and Dogger Bank B, will comprise 95 Haliade-X 13 MW turbines each. The third phase, Dogger Bank C, will feature 87 Haliade-X 14 MW turbines.

Dogger Bank A is currently in the wind turbine installation stage and has already produced the first power last year.

On Dogger Bank B, the monopile installation has now started with the jack-up vessel Seaway Strashnov carrying out the work.