United Kingdom – The Dogger Bank wind farm, the world’s largest offshore wind farm, has started exporting electricity to Britain. This is a major milestone in the development of the offshore wind industry and the UK’s transition to a cleaner, more secure energy system.
The 3.6 GW Dogger Bank wind farm is being constructed in UK waters 70 nautical miles (130km) off the coast of Yorkshire and in the UK’s North Sea in three 1.2 GW phases known as Dogger Bank A, B and C. The first turbine at Dogger Bank A has started turning and producing electricity. Power from the offshore wind farm is now being transmitted to the UK’s national grid via Dogger Bank’s high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission system, marking the first-time use of HVDC technology on a UK wind farm.
The first power milestone marks the first of what will eventually be 277, 260-meter-tall turbines providing power from the project. Each of these turbines will be progressively installed and commissioned between now and planned full commercial operation in 2026.
When complete, Dogger Bank will be more than two and a half times the size of the largest offshore wind farm currently in operation. It will be capable of producing enough energy to power the equivalent of six million British homes annually.
World-firsts
The Dogger Bank project has delivered several world-firsts in supply chain delivery that will significantly accelerate the speed at which future offshore projects can be developed. GE Vernova’s new 13MW Haliade-X turbine technology was completed by technicians and engineers working off Jan De Nul Group’s newest jack-up installation vessel, Voltaire. With a lifting capacity of 3,200 tonnes, the Voltaire is the largest offshore jack-up installation vessel of her kind in the world and the first ultra-low emissions ship of its kind.
Dogger Bank also marks the first use of HVDC transmission technology to connect a British wind farm to National Grid’s UK energy network. This includes the installation of the world’s first unmanned offshore HVDC substation platform at the site, as well as first use of Hitachi Energy’s HVDC Light transmission system which was executed in record time of 38 months with the highest safety and quality standards.
