UK-made steel from the country’s largest producer Tata Steel is playing a role in helping create the world’s largest offshore wind farm
Capable of providing green energy for six million homes in the UK, the Dogger Bank Wind Farm is due to be complete by 2026.
The wind farm is being developed in three 1.2 giga-watt phases: Dogger Bank A, B and C.
Dogger Bank A and B is a joint venture between SSE Renewables (40%), Equinor (40%) and Eni (20%). In November 2021 SSE Renewables and Equinor, 50:50 joint venture partners in Dogger Bank C, announced Eni will take a 20% stake in the final phase, with SSE Renewables and Equinor maintaining 40% stakes each, in a deal which is expected to complete in the first quarter of 2022 subject to regulatory approvals.
In the first two phases of construction the vast GE Renewable Energy turbines, each one rated at 13 mega-watts – enough to power a home for two days with a single rotation – will sit on foundations featuring Tata Steel products used in safety-critical transitions pieces. These steel structures form the junction between the tower above the surface of the sea and the foundations below the water.
Fabrication companies Sif and Smulders were awarded contracts to provide the wind turbine foundations for the first two phases of Dogger Bank in November 2020, with Dogger Bank C awarded a year later
Steel made in Tata Steel’s Port Talbot plant and processed into hollow sections at the company’s Corby and Hartlepool sites is being fabricated by one of the thousands of contract companies helping to build the first two phases of the wind farm.
Sandip Biswas, Chairman of the Board of Tata Steel UK, said: “We are proud to be able to help support UK jobs and manufacturing through this project.”
Hundreds of tonnes of Tata Steel products, able to endure the harsh North Sea conditions, will be used in the first two phases of the giant wind farm project, which is located 130 kms off the North East coast of England.
Sandip added: “Huge amounts of steel will be needed to help the UK achieve its net-zero goals – to build everything from renewable energy and low-CO2 transportation to hydrogen production and distribution.
“At the same time, we have targets for our own decarbonisation as a steelmaker. Our own transition to a decarbonised future will rely on a secure supply of competitively priced renewable energy – whether that be to create hydrogen for future steelmaking or power new low-CO2 furnaces. The more we can help in delivering these landmark projects the better.”
Dogger Bank Wind Farm Project Director, Steve Wilson, said: “This is another great example of how we’re taking advantage of UK skills and expertise to build the world’s largest offshore wind farm. Our transition pieces are among the largest to be installed on an offshore wind farm, and this UK-manufactured steel will form some of the supporting components.
“Dogger Bank Wind Farm is already creating or supporting more than 3,000 jobs in the UK supply chain, and giving companies the chance to work on a pioneering project which will help them become increasingly competitive as the world adapts to produce energy that doesn’t cost the earth.”
About Tata Steel’s European operations
Tata Steel is one of Europe’s leading steel producers, with steelmaking in the Netherlands and the UK, and manufacturing plants across Europe. The company supplies high-quality steel products to the most demanding markets, including construction and infrastructure, automotive, packaging and engineering.
Tata Steel works with customers to develop new steel products which give them a competitive edge. The Tata Steel group is among the top global steel companies with an annual crude steel capacity of 34 million tonnes. It is one of the world’s most geographically-diversified steel producers, with operations and a commercial presence across the world. The group recorded a consolidated turnover of US $21.06 billion in the financial year ending 31 March, 2021.
Dogger Bank Wind Farm facts:
The 3.6GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm when completed in 2026.
It is being built in three 1.2GW phases: Dogger Bank A, B and C.
Dogger Bank A and B is a joint venture between SSE Renewables (40%), Equinor (40%) and Eni (20%). In November 2021 SSE Renewables and Equinor, 50:50 joint venture partners in Dogger Bank C, announced Eni will take a 20% stake in the third phase, with SSE Renewables and Equinor maintaining 40% stakes each. The deal is expected to complete in Q1 2022, subject to regulatory approvals.
SSE Renewables is lead operator for the development and construction of Dogger Bank Wind Farm. Equinor will be lead operator of the wind farm on completion for its expected operational life of around 35 years.
Financial Close on Dogger Bank A and Dogger Bank B was reached in November 2020, with Financial Close for Dogger Bank C reached in December 2021. Taken in aggregate, reaching Financial Close on all three phases of Dogger Bank Wind Farm is the largest offshore wind project financing to date globally.
Consent for Dogger Bank Wind Farm was granted in 2015.
Each of the three phases of Dogger Bank Wind Farm secured 15-year CfD contracts for 1.2GW of low carbon power for of low carbon power production in the UK’s third CfD Allocation Round, announced September 2019.
In May 2021, Dogger Bank Wind Farm took another major step forward after passing a required delivery milestone under the UK’s Contracts for Difference scheme for low carbon power.
Dogger Bank Wind Farm is located in the North Sea, with each phase more than 130km from the Yorkshire Coast.
Onshore construction began in 2020 and is currently underway for Dogger Bank A and Dogger Bank B, with offshore construction on Dogger Bank A due to begin in Q2 2022. First power is expected in Summer 2023 and Summer 2024 for Dogger Bank A and B, respectively, with commercial operations to follow around 6 months later.
Onshore cable installation civils works for Dogger Bank C will start in Q1 2022, with construction of the onshore convertor station to commence in Q2 2022. Offshore export cable installation will commence in Q1 2024 with offshore platform installation to commence in Q2, 2024. Foundation installation will commence in Q3, 2024 while turbine installation will commence in Q2, 2025. First power is anticipated in Q3, 2025 and full power in Q1, 2026.
Almost 3000 new UK jobs have been announced so far that will be supported by the construction and operation of Dogger Bank Wind Farm.
These include up to 750 direct and around 1,500 indirect jobs associated with the set-up of a new world-class blade manufacturing facility on Teesside by LM Wind Power, a GE Renewable Energy business, with production due to start in 2023.
470 jobs are expected to be recruited by GE Renewable Energy across the north east of England in support of the delivery and operation of all three phases of the project. These will be made up of around 300 skilled roles for turbine installation and commissioning activities and 170 servicing roles at Port of Tyne under GE’s five-year Service and Warranty Agreements for Dogger Bank phases A, B and C once operational.
At least a further 30 roles will be hired by Equinor as operator of the wind farm, based at the Port of Tyne or offshore.
130 new full-time UK-based jobs will be created by North Star Renewables in crewing and shore-based roles for the operation of the three-vessel service fleet for Dogger Bank Wind Farm.
Up to 100 peak construction jobs will be created by Jones Bros. Civil Engineering, one of the UK’s leading civil engineering contractors, on the installation of onshore cable infrastructure for Dogger Bank A and B.
Dogger Bank A and B has confirmed GE’s Haliade-X 13MW as the turbine powering the first two phases of the project. As the first order for the Haliade-X 13MW, installation at Dogger Bank A will be the first time the turbine is installed in the world.
Installation of GE’s upscaled Haliade-X 14MW turbine at Dogger Bank C will be the first time the 14MW turbine is installed in the world.
One rotation of the Haliade-X turbine blades can power one UK home for more than two days.
The wind turbines will be installed on monopile foundations.
Dogger Bank will be the first High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) connected wind farm in the UK due to its distance from shore, introducing new transmission systems to the UK and paving the way for other large offshore wind farms.
Source: tatasteeleurope
