Wikipedia

Dogger Bank Wind Farm

(Redirected from Sofia Offshore Wind Farm)

Dogger Bank Wind Farm is a group of offshore wind farms under construction 130 to 200 kilometres (81 to 124 mi) off the east coast of Yorkshire, England in the North Sea.[1][2] It is considered to be the world's largest offshore windfarm.[3] It was developed by the Forewind consortium, with three phases envisioned - first phase (Creyke Beck A and B), second phase (Teesside A and B) and third phase (Teesside C and D). In 2015, the third phase was abandoned,[4] while the first and second phases were granted consent. It was initially expected that the Dogger Bank development will consist of four offshore wind farms, each with a capacity of up to 1.2 GW, creating a combined capacity of 4.8 GW. As of 2024, a total of 8.1 GW generating capacity is expected to be installed on Dogger Bank.

Dogger Bank Wind Farm
Map
CountryUnited Kingdom
LocationDogger Bank
Coordinates54°45′N 1°55′E / 54.750°N 1.917°E / 54.750; 1.917
StatusUnder construction
Ownermultiple
Wind farm
TypeOffshore
Distance from shore125 km (78 mi)
Power generation
Make and modelGE Haliade-X 13 MW (A)
GE Haliade-X 13 MW (B)
GE Haliade-X 14.7 MW (C)
Siemens Gamesa 14-222 DD (Sofia)
Units planned95 × 13 MW (A)
95 × 13 MW (B)
87 × 14.7 MW (C)
100 × 14 MW (Sofia)
Nameplate capacity1235 MW (A)
1235 MW (B)
1218 MW (C)
1400 MW (Sofia)
3000 MW (South)
External links
Websitedoggerbank.com
[edit on Wikidata]
Map
Wind farm layout

Since 2017 Creyke Beck A and B and Teesside A are developed by Dogger Bank Wind Farm Limited as Dogger Bank A, B and C,[5] while Teesside B is developed by Sofia Offshore Wind Farm Limited as Sofia Offshore Wind Farm. All four farms were successful in the 2019 contract for difference auction and have a delivery date between 2023 and 2025.[6]

On 10 October 2023 Dogger Bank wind farm started producing electricity for the first time.[2]

Project overview

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Dogger Bank is in the North Sea, located between 130 and 200 kilometres (81 and 124 mi) off the east coast of Yorkshire. It is one of nine offshore zones belonging to the Crown Estate which formed part of the third licence round for UK offshore wind farms.

The Dogger Bank is an attractive location for offshore wind farms because it is far away from shore, avoiding complaints about the visual impact of wind turbines, yet the water depth is shallow enough for traditional fixed foundation wind turbine designs.[7] Fixed-foundation wind turbines are economically limited to maximum water depths of 40 to 50 metres (130 to 160 ft),[8] at greater water depths new floating wind turbine designs are required, which currently cost significantly more to build.[9]

The Forewind consortium was formed by the four owner companies – SSE, RWE, Statoil and Statkraft – in November 2008 in response to the third licence round.[10] In January 2010, Forewind was announced as the developer for the Dogger Bank Zone, the largest of the Round 3 zones.[10] Statoil increases its share from Statkraft, beginning in 2017.[11] In August 2017 new ownership arrangements were announced, SSE and Equinor (formerly Statoil) have each taken 50% share in Dogger Bank Creyke Beck A, B and Teesside A, while Innogy (RWE subsidiary) has taken Teesside B and renamed it to Sofia Offshore Wind Farm.[12] Originally projected to produce up to 9 GW of power, the plan was scaled down to 7.2 GW in 2014,[13][14] and scaled down even further to 4.8 GW in 2015.[15] As of 2023, it is projected that Dogger Bank A, B and C will produce 3.6 GW of power. Some of the steel used is from Port Talbot Steelworks.[16]

In 2022 it was announced that the Dogger Bank A, B & C wind farms would be expanded to add an additional wind farm Dogger Bank D. Additionally the Crown Estate leased out a 3 GW zone named Dogger Bank South.[17]

At the COP28 summit on 1 December 2023, it was agreed that energy firms RWE and Masdar would significantly fund the Dogger Bank wind farm projects through an £11 billion investment.[18]

Final design and construction

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As of November 2022 there are four zones in the Dogger Bank Wind Farm project that are either in the pre-construction or full construction phase. They are Dogger Bank A, B & C as well as Sophia.

Dogger Bank A and B

The first phase was called Dogger Bank Creyke Beck A and B.[10] The original plan called for two offshore wind farms each generating up to 1.2 GW of electricity,[13] with a total installed capacity of up to 2.4 GW.[10] They would connect to the existing Creyke Beck substation near Cottingham, in the East Riding of Yorkshire.[10] The two sites lie 131 kilometres (81 mi) from the East Yorkshire coast.[19] Dogger Bank Creyke Beck A will cover an area of 515 square kilometres (199 sq mi), and Dogger Bank Creyke Beck B will cover an area of 599 square kilometres (231 sq mi).[19] Planning consent was granted for up to 400 turbines on 17 February 2015.[20] These two projects were owned by SSE and Equinor,[12] in December 2020 Eni acquired 20% stake.[21] ABB was chosen for the HVDC power transfer cables to shore.[22]

 
Able Seaton Port

On 21 September 2020, it was announced that Dogger Bank A and B will use 190 GE Haliade-X 13 MW offshore wind turbines over both sites, meaning that 95 turbines will be used on each site.[23] The availability of upgraded Haliade-X turbines rated at 13 MW rather than 12 MW means that each site will be capable of generating up to 1.235 GW, for a total of 2.47 GW. Turbines will be pre-assembled at Able Seaton Port in Hartlepool, an activity that will lead to the creation of 120 skilled jobs at the port during construction. Turbine installation commenced in August 2023 at Dogger Bank A.[24] Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) for 15 years were signed in November 2020.[25] Offshore cable laying started in April 2022.[26] Installation of the turbine foundations was started in July 2022.[27]

In April 2023, SSE announced that the world's first unmanned High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) substation had been installed at Dogger Bank A, with similar infrastructure to be completed for Dogger Bank B and C.[28]

A 107m long wind turbine blade failed during commissioning of the Dogger Bank A wind farm.[29]

Dogger Bank C

Dogger Bank C will use GE Haliade 14 MW turbines. Installation of the turbines is set to begin in 2025 with completion of the overall project in 2026.[30] Similar to Dogger Bank A&B, a 15-year Power Purchase Agreement was agreed in November 2021. All output (estimated at 18 TWh/year) from A, B and C were thus in contract, a stepping stone towards financing.[31]

As a first for UK offshore wind, Dogger Bank C onshore converter station was among the winners of an auction to provide the cheapest options for reactive power to stabilize the grid and reduce grid cost. The converter will provide up to 200 megavolt amperes with a price of 0.34 £/MVAr/SP from April 2025 and ten years on.[32][33]

Sofia

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Sofia will use 100 Siemens Gamesa 14 MW turbines.[34] Offshore construction is set to begin in 2023 with completion of the overall project in 2026.[35] 44 turbines use recyclable blades made in Hull.[36]

Dogger Bank South

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RWE is moving forward with two new offshore wind farms in the Dogger Bank area, Dogger Bank South West and Dogger Bank South East. Each will have a capacity of 1.5 GW generation. Following the Round 4 leasing process, RWE obtained approval from the UK Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to enter into an Agreement for Lease with The Crown Estate in summer 2022. .[17] In December 2023, RWE and UAE firm Masdar signed an agreement to develop a 3GW windfarm at Dogger Bank South.[37]

Potential additional zones

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Dogger Bank D

SSE Renewables and Equinor are investigating the potential to increase the size of the Dogger Bank Wind Farm, which is currently under construction. This additional phase will be known as Dogger Bank D. The grid has the capability to support up to 1320 MW.[17]

Initial plans

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This section provides the historical context for the development of the Dogger Bank Wind Farm and the various name and design changes that have occurred since it was first proposed.

Dogger Bank Teesside were intended to be the second and third stage of development of the Dogger Bank Zone.[38] It was divided into two phases of development: Dogger Bank Teesside A & B and Dogger Bank Teesside C & D.[39] These would connect to the National Grid at a substation in Redcar & Cleveland, Teesside.[40]

Dogger Bank Teesside A & B (Dogger Bank C and Sofia Offshore Wind Farm)

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Dogger Bank Teesside A & B comprised two wind farms, each generating up to 1.2 GW of electricity.[14] Dogger Bank Teesside A lies 196 kilometres (122 mi) from the shore and will cover an area of 560 square kilometres (220 sq mi).[41] Dogger Bank Teesside B lies 165 kilometres (103 mi) from the shore and will cover an area of 593 square kilometres (229 sq mi).[41] Planning consent was granted for 400 turbines on 5 August 2015.[42] Since 2017 SSE and Equinor own Dogger Bank Teesside A (renamed to Dogger Bank C), while Dogger Bank Teesside B was taken by Innogy and renamed Sofia Offshore Wind Farm.[12]

Dogger Bank Teesside C & D

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This second application (C and D) was planned to comprise two wind farms, each generating up to 1.2 GW of electricity.[43] It was originally expected that planning consent would be determined in 2017.[43] However, in August 2015 Forewind scrapped the final phase and returned the remaining area of the Dogger Bank development zone to the Crown Estate.[15][44]

North Sea Wind Power Hub

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Dutch, German, and Danish electrical grid operators are cooperating in a project to build a North Sea Wind Power Hub complex on one or more artificial islands to be constructed on Dogger Bank as part of a European system for sustainable electricity. The power hub would interconnect the three national power grids with each other and with the Dogger Bank Wind Farm.

A study commissioned by Dutch electrical grid operator TenneT reported in February 2017 that as much as 110 gigawatts of wind energy generating capacity could ultimately be developed at the Dogger Bank location.[45]

At the North Seas Energy Forum in Brussels on 23 March 2017, Energinet will sign a contract to work with the German and Dutch branches of TenneT; thereafter a feasibility study will be produced.[46][47]

Battery storage

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Adjacent to Creyke Beck substation for the wind farm, near Cottingham in the East Riding of Yorkshire, the Pillswood 196 MWh battery storage power station was installed in 2022 using Tesla Megapack LFP batteries, capable of producing 98 MW for 2 hours.[48][49][50]

References

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  1. ^ "Forewind Dogger Bank". Forewind. 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Largest offshore wind farm celebrates power milestone". BBC News. 10 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  3. ^ Lawson, Alex (9 October 2023). "World's largest offshore windfarm project starts powering UK grid". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  4. ^ "Forewind Abandons Dogger Bank Teesside C & D Project". Offshore Wind. 7 August 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  5. ^ "Our History". Dogger Bank Wind Farm. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  6. ^ "Contracts for Difference (CfD) Allocation Round 3: results". 20 September 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  7. ^ Harvey, Fiona (17 February 2015). "World's biggest offshore windfarm approved for Yorkshire coast". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  8. ^ "Deep Water - The next step for offshore wind energy". WindEurope.org. European Wind Energy Association. 31 July 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  9. ^ Martin, Richard. "Floating Wind Farms: Great Concept, Implausible Economics". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  10. ^ a b c d e "Dogger Bank offshore zone". RWE. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  11. ^ "Statoil increases in UK offshore wind". Statoil. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  12. ^ a b c "Dogger Bank Windfarms Newsletter" (PDF). doggerbank.com. 2018. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  13. ^ a b "Dogger Bank Creyke Beck offshore wind farm plans move closer". BBC News. 25 September 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  14. ^ a b Laister, David (19 February 2014). "Dogger Bank wind farm zone to be scaled back by 20 per cent". Grimsby Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  15. ^ a b "Utility Week – Forewind scraps final Dogger Bank phase". utilityweek.co.uk. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  16. ^ "Dogger Bank Offshore Wind Farm to Feature UK Steel". Offshore Wind. 22 December 2021. Archived from the original on 13 January 2022.
  17. ^ a b c Buljan, Adrijana (6 October 2022). "BREAKING: SSE, Equinor Plan 1.3 GW Dogger Bank D Offshore Wind Project". Offshore Wind. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  18. ^ "Sunak wraps up 11-hour Cop28 trip with new deal for UK wind farm". The Independent. 1 December 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  19. ^ a b "Dogger Bank Creyke Beck". Forewind. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  20. ^ Harvey, Fiona (17 February 2015). "World's biggest offshore windfarm approved for Yorkshire coast". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  21. ^ "Eni buys 20% stake in UK's Dogger Bank wind farm project". www.ft.com. 4 December 2020. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  22. ^ "HVDC technology to connect world's largest offshore windfarm to the grid". Riviera Maritime Media. 30 October 2019. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  23. ^ "GE Renewable Energy launches the uprated Haliade-X 13 MW wind turbine for the UK's Dogger Bank Wind Farm". GE. General Electric. 21 September 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  24. ^ "First campaign to install turbines at world's largest offshore wind farm is underway" (Press release). Dogger Bank Wind Farm. 3 August 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  25. ^ "Power Purchase Agreements signed for Dogger Bank A and B". www.windtech-international.com. 24 November 2020.
  26. ^ "Export Cable Installation Marks Official Start of Offshore Construction on World's Largest Wind Farm". Offshore Wind. 29 April 2022.
  27. ^ "Dogger Bank: Work starts on 'world's largest' offshore wind farm". BBC News. 26 July 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  28. ^ "World's first unmanned HVDC offshore platform installed at world's largest offshore wind farm". www.sserenewables.com. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  29. ^ Harper, Rachael (5 September 2024). "Turbine blade fails on Dogger Bank installation". Fishing News. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  30. ^ "GE's Haliade-X 14MW turbine to debut at Dogger Bank C". Dogger Bank Wind Farm. 18 December 2020. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  31. ^ Durakovic, Adnan (24 November 2021). "Entire Output of World's Largest Offshore Wind Farm Sold Out". Offshore Wind. Archived from the original on 2 December 2021.
  32. ^ "NOA Pennines High Voltage Pathfinder". . 7 February 2022. Archived from the original on 9 February 2022.
  33. ^ Richard, Craig (8 February 2022). "SSE and Equinor's Dogger Bank C to be 'first UK offshore wind farm to help stabilise grid'". www.windpowermonthly.com. Archived from the original on 8 February 2022.
  34. ^ "Components Summary". Sofia Offshore Wind Farm. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  35. ^ "Indicative Timeline". Sofia Offshore Wind Farm. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  36. ^ Durakovic, Adnan (9 March 2023). "108-Metre Recyclable Blades to Spin on Sofia Wind Farm Offshore UK". Offshore Wind.
  37. ^ "RWE and Masdar to co-develop giant British offshore wind project". Reuters. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  38. ^ "Dogger Bank Teesside". Forewind. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  39. ^ "First application for Dogger Bank projects". Statkraft. 29 September 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  40. ^ "Forewind development consent order application for Dogger Bank accepted by UK Planning Inspectorate". Renewable Energy Magazine. 1 October 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  41. ^ a b "Dogger Bank Teesside A & B". Forewind. Archived from the original on 21 September 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  42. ^ "Dogger Bank wind farm plan off Teesside coast". BBC News. 5 August 2015. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  43. ^ a b "Dogger Bank Teesside C & D". Forewind. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  44. ^ Weston, David. "Dogger Bank Teesside C & D 2.4GW projects cancelled". www.windpoweroffshore.com. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  45. ^ "Offshore Wind Capacity Dogger Bank" (PDF). North Sea Wind Power Hub. Royal Haskoning DHV. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 February 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
  46. ^ "Artificial island is planned on Dogger Bank for cheaper wind power". Sky News. 13 March 2017. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
  47. ^ "First meeting of North Seas Energy Forum". European Commission. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
  48. ^ "Cottingham: Europe's biggest battery storage system switched on". BBC News. 21 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  49. ^ Lee, Andrew (21 November 2022). "Tesla builds 'Europe's largest battery' near Dogger Bank offshore wind power landfall". Recharge. NHST Media. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  50. ^ "MASSIVE Storage. THIS is How To Power the Grid With 100% Renewable Energy!". Fully Charged. May 2023.
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