Dogger Bank Wind Farm and delivery partners complete installation of HVDC offshore substation platform at Dogger Bank C

Third North Sea HVDC platform marks installation completion of offshore substations on all three phases of Dogger Bank Wind Farm
Pioneering design reduces topside weight by as much as 70% compared to traditional designs

Dogger Bank Wind Farm and its delivery partners have successfully completed the installation of the HVDC offshore substation platform at Dogger Bank C, marking the installation completion of all three offshore substations on the world’s largest offshore wind farm under construction.
 
Manufactured and supplied by Aibel and installed by Heerema Marine Contractors’ Sleipnir vessel, the Dogger Bank C platform measures approximately 75 x 50 metres across and 36 metres high and sits on a four-legged steel jacket foundation structure which is fixed to the seabed, at an average water depth of around 23m.
 
The installation of the Dogger Bank C offshore substation topside onto the platform jacket followed on from the safe installation of the platform jacket by Heerema’s Sleipnir vessel a week earlier.
 
Olly Cass, Project Director for Dogger Bank Wind Farm, said:

“The installation of our third offshore substation platform marks a significant leap on our journey to delivering renewable energy for around 6 million UK homes annually once the wind farm is complete.
 
“Our strong partnership with Aibel, Hitachi Energy and our installation partners, with Heerema installing this third platform, has been key to the seamless completion and handover of these three pioneering structures.
 
“This is a significant moment for the project team, our delivery partners and for the UK’s clean energy transition.”
 
The innovative Aibel platform has a lean design and was the first unmanned HVDC platform to be installed in 2023, when the first of the project’s three platforms was successfully delivered at the Dogger Bank A phase. The substations are designed to be operated from shore and accessed only by a Service Operations Vessel.
 
Further commissioning activities will now be carried out on the platform to prepare it for future transmission of renewable energy.
 
Fitted with Hitachi Energy’s latest generation HVDC converter technology, Dogger Bank is the first offshore wind project in the UK to use this technology to transmit the electricity produced back to shore, ensuring the electricity is transmitted efficiently over long distances while minimising losses.
 
Each of the three platforms will be capable of receiving 1.2GW of AC power generated by Dogger Bank’s offshore wind turbines and converting that renewable energy to DC, before sending that clean, homegrown power ashore to three onshore convertor stations, near Beverley in East Riding of Yorkshire and near Redcar on Teesside.
 
Mads Andersen, Aibel President and CEO, said:

"The successful installation of the DBC converter platform marks a proud milestone for Aibel and our partner Hitachi Energy. We are honoured to have contributed to the world’s largest offshore wind farm by delivering three lean and effective converter platforms. This achievement reflects the strength of our collaboration with the client partners, the dedication of our teams, and our shared commitment to accelerating the energy transition.”
 
Martijn Kuipers, Project Director for Doggerbank C at Heerema, said:

“Completing the installation of the Dogger Bank C offshore substation platform marks a proud milestone for Heerema. The thorough preparations and seamless collaboration between Sleipnir’s skilled crew, our project team, Dogger Bank Wind Farm and our subcontractors, enabled us to safely and successfully install the jacket and topside. This achievement reflects Heerema’s commitment to delivering complex offshore projects with precision and innovation, and we are proud to contribute to the UK’s energy transition.”
 
About Dogger Bank Wind Farm

• The 3.6 GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm when completed in 2027.
• It is being built in three 1.2 GW phases: Dogger Bank A, B and C. 
• The project is a joint venture between SSE Renewables (40%), Equinor (40%) and Vårgrønn. 
• 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.  Vårgrønn provides specialist offshore wind expertise to the project.
• Dogger Bank Wind Farm is located in the North Sea, with each phase more than 130km from the Yorkshire Coast.   
• Dogger Bank A began generating renewable energy for the first time in October 2023.
• Dogger Bank Wind Farm is fully committed to supporting the UK offshore wind supply chain. To date we estimate more than 2,000 UK roles have been created or supported in relation to the construction and operation of the wind farm. 
• The construction programme includes installation of 277 GE Vernova Haliade-X 13MW and 14 MW turbines.
• One rotation of the Haliade-X turbine blades can power one UK home for more than two days.   
• The wind turbines are being installed on monopile foundations.   
• Dogger Bank is 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.   
• For more information about Dogger Bank Wind Farm visit www.doggerbank.com

 
About SSE Renewables

SSE Renewables is a leading developer and operator of renewable energy generation, focusing on onshore and offshore wind, hydro, solar and battery storage. Part of energy infrastructure company SSE plc, UK-listed in the FTSE100, it is delivering clean power assets to increase SSE’s operational renewable generation capacity as part of a five-year clean energy plan to 2027, the ~£17.5bn Net Zero Acceleration Programme (NZAP) Plus. This includes delivery of the world’s largest offshore wind farm in construction, the 3.6GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm. SSE Renewables has a team of around 2,000 renewable energy professionals with a passion for championing clean energy delivery, each based across the markets in which it operates. It operates across its core UK and Ireland markets, as well as in carefully selected international markets in Continental Europe and Japan.
 
About Equinor

Equinor has been a reliable energy partner to the UK for over 40 years, providing a stable supply of oil and gas, developing the UK’s offshore wind industry, and pioneering solutions to decarbonise the UK economy. Equinor has a long track record of developing offshore wind farms in the UK, having built and commissioned into operation the Sheringham Shoal Offshore Wind Farm, Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farm and Hywind Scotland Pilot Park, the world's first floating offshore wind farm. Equinor aims to power seven million homes from its UK windfarms by 2030.
 
About Vårgrønn

Vårgrønn is a dynamic offshore wind company based in Norway, dedicated to powering the energy transition through the development, construction, operation, and ownership of offshore wind projects and related infrastructure. Vårgrønn is a joint venture between Plenitude, an Eni-controlled company, and Norwegian energy investor HitecVision.
 
The company is actively expanding its European portfolio across both fixed and floating offshore wind. The company’s current pipeline spans England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, and Norway, alongside early-stage initiatives in the Baltics. Vårgrønn’s portfolio includes key projects such as Dogger Bank, the world’s largest offshore wind farm currently under construction; Green Volt, a pioneering large-scale floating wind project; and in the operational Baltic 2 wind farm.