Heerema announces offshore substation contract for the world’s biggest offshore wind farm

Dogger Bank Wind Farm owners SSE Renewables, Equinor, and Eni have awarded Heerema Marine Contractors a contract for the transport and installation of the Dogger Bank C offshore substation.

The work will include transporting and installing the 3,500 metric ton jacket foundation, four main piles, and the 9,500 metric ton offshore substation topside. Heerema will perform offshore lifting to position the jacket foundation on the scour bed, using main piles to provide jacket on-bottom stability. The offshore substation will be lifted from a barge prior to the set-down on the jacket foundation.

This project is part of the third phase of the world-leading Dogger Bank Wind Farm project, a joint venture offshore wind farm being constructed off the north-east coast of England by partners SSE Renewables, Equinor, and Eni. Due to its size and scale, Dogger Bank is being built in three consecutive 1.2GW phases; Dogger Bank A, Dogger Bank B, and Dogger Bank C. Dogger Bank C is around 560km² in size and at its closest point is 196km from shore. SSE Renewables is leading the development and construction of Dogger Bank Wind Farm while Equinor will operate the wind farm on completion for its expected operational life of around 35 years.

Dogger Bank Wind Farm will be the largest offshore wind farm in the world when operational in 2026, with an overall capacity of 3.6GW. In total the wind farm is expected to generate enough renewable electricity to supply 5% of the UK’s demand, equivalent to powering six million homes and helping the UK government to reach its targets set for the desired transition to renewable energy.

Heerema’s Wind Director, Jeroen van Oosten, said ‘We are proud to be working together with valued clients SSE Renewables, Equinor, and Eni to deliver this historic project. Installing sizeable offshore substations is core business for Heerema Marine Contractors and we are looking forward to working together on the preparation and installation of Dogger Bank C.’

Steve Wilson, Project Director for Dogger Bank Wind Farm, said: ‘Installation of the offshore substation on the third phase of Dogger Bank Wind Farm will be a significant moment for our world-leading project. We welcome Hereema to our strong team of tier-one suppliers, and we look forward to working with them to install this innovative platform on the DBC site.’