The developers of Dogger Bank windfarm have revealed the design for the multi-million-pound operations and maintenance base to serve the world’s biggest offshore wind, which is being built 130km off the Yorkshire coast in the North Sea.
The base is set to be built in Port of Tyne and will serve as the main hub for operating the wind farm which, when complete, will be capable of powering six million homes.
SSE Renewables is leading on construction of the windfarm and Equinor will operate the windfarm for its lifetime of up to 35 years, creating over 200 direct jobs in the North East of England.
Some roles will be based onshore, such as planners, engineers and management, whilst other roles such as wind turbine technicians will be based offshore at the wind farm.
The main recruitment activity is expected from 2022.
READ MORE: North Star Renewables lands £270m Dogger Bank vessel support deal
Working with international design practice Ryder Architecture, headquartered in Newcastle, operations lead Equinor has designed the O&M base to be built using environmentally friendly materials. EV chargers, solar panels and efficient heating systems have been included to ensure the facility has a low carbon impact.
As well as offices for those based onshore and a warehouse to store spare parts for the windfarm, the design includes development of a new quay suitable for the state-of-the-art service operations vessels that provide accommodation, and transport for technicians to and from the wind farm. The vessels will come to the port approximately twice a month for resupply and crew change.
Steve Wilson, project director for Dogger Bank, said: “It’s another important milestone for our project, but also for a region that is becoming a powerhouse for innovation and decarbonisation.”
Halfdan Brustad, vice president for Dogger Bank at Equinor, said: “On top of the hundreds of direct jobs the project creates, opportunities from the project will reach many others in the region from industry suppliers to catering companies.
“Over the last month investment for a new manufacturing facility in Teesside has been announced, set to provide the 107m turbine blades to Dogger Bank, and the contract for our three operations vessels has been awarded to a Scottish company, creating further jobs in Scotland and the North East.”
Aberdeen-based North Star Renewables earlier secured contracts worth around £270 million to work on Dogger Bank.
Exciting designs unveiled for @DoggerBankWind’s planned O&M Base at @Port_of_Tyne that will serve the world’s biggest #offshorewind farm. The base has been designed with leading practice @Ryder1953 in Newcastle with #sustainability at its core. #lowcarbon https://t.co/IZswWK7iC1 pic.twitter.com/iAnTxmbS2n
— SSE Renewables (@sserenewables) March 25, 2021
Dogger Bank is being built in three equal phases of 1.2 gigawatts (GW) each. The first two phases, Dogger Bank A and B, are a joint venture between SSE Renewables (40%), Equinor (40%) and Eni (20%). The third phase, Dogger Bank C, is being developed on a different timescale and is owned by SSE Renewables (50%) and Equinor (50%).
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