Offshore installation specialist Heerema Marine Contractors has secured a contract for the transport and installation of the Dogger Bank C offshore substation, part of the Dogger Bank project in the UK, which will be the world's largest offshore wind farm, once fully operational in 2026.
The contract, of an undisclosed value, was awarded by 3.6GW Dogger Bank wind farm partners SSE Renewables, Equinor, and Eni.
Under the contract, Heerema will be responsible for the transportation and installation of 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.
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.
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.'
Heerema did not say which of its semi-submersible crane vessels would be used for the installation, however, at least for the 9,500 metric ton offshore substation topside, it will most likely be either Thialf or Sleipnir, because of their lifting capacity.
Earlier this month, Thialf installed the 4,800-tonne offshore platform topside off the Angus coast for the Seagreen project, Scotland's largest fixed bottom offshore wind farm and the world's deepest of its kind.
Worth noting, Italian offshore services giant Saipem is responsible for the installation of two offshore HVDC platforms for the first two phases. Saipem will use its Saipem 7000 crane vessel to install the platforms consisting of a 2,900-tonne jacket and an 8,500-tonne topside.
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