Dutch consortium consisting of Sif and Smulders are assisting in the construction of the Dogger Bank offshore wind farm off the north-east coast of the UK, where SSE Renewables and Equinor have installed the first foundation.
During the three-year installation period for Dogger Bank Wind Farm’s three phases, a total of 277 monopiles and transition pieces will be loaded onto installation vessels in Rotterdam before being transferred out to the offshore wind farm site deep in the North Sea.
The 72m monopiles are hammered into place and secured by massive bolts after being placed using cutting-edge positioning technology. The consortium Sif and Smulders was awarded the contract for the manufacture of all 190 monopiles and transition pieces for the Dogger Bank A and B phases of the wind farm in November 2020, with a contract for the remaining 87 monopiles and transition pieces for Dogger Bank C awarded to the consortium in 2021.
Powering UK homes
The project, a collaboration between SSE Renewables (40%), Equinor (40%), and Eni Plenitude (20%), will generate 3.6GW of clean green energy, enough to power 6 million UK homes. SSE Renewables is the lead operator for the development and construction of Dogger Bank Wind Farm, while Equinor will be the lead operator upon completion for the wind farm’s expected operational life of 35 years.
The installation, which consists of three offshore wind farm sites in the North Sea, saw the first monopile and transition piece installed at Dogger Bank A. The foundations, designed by Wood Thilsted of the United Kingdom, can be up to 72m long and weigh an average of 1057 tonnes. Seaway is in charge of the installation, which is being aided by DEME. The groundbreaking Haliade-X turbines from GE Renewable Energy, which will generate the power, will be installed in Spring 2023.
Steel produced in Wales by Tata Steel and processed in Corby and Hartlepool is used in the transition pieces’ supporting components, while South Tyneside-based Metec and Rochdale-based Granada Material Handling have also won contracts with Smulders to support this world-leading project.
Image source: SSE
