Equinor is to combine the operations of both the Dudgeon and Sheringham Shoal offshore wind farms off the Norfolk coast.
The operations will be combined into one hub in Great Yarmouth in eastern England.
The Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon offshore wind farms are operated from separate bases in Egmere and Great Yarmouth, respectively.
The new structure will mean that both sites will be operated from one base in Great Yarmouth, capturing synergies from a combined control room, office and warehouse.
The sites will also move to a single, upgraded communication system for improved efficiency and safety.
Further synergies will be leveraged offshore, as teams from both sites will share the existing service operations vessel currently used by Dudgeon, maximising time in the field and reducing emissions from the overall operations.
The new set up will be in place by end-September 2021.
Trine Ingebjorg Ulla, head of operations for Equinor’s UK wind farms, said: “Both wind farms are performing extremely well within the current set up, but as we position ourselves for future growth we have a responsibility to both the UK consumer and to our shareholders to regularly assess our operations, and make sure we continue to operate our assets efficiently.
“With the new operating model, we will have greater access to our turbines offshore by reducing the impact of both weather and tidal restrictions. By bringing together the currently independent Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon operations, we will also benefit from operational synergies from common communication systems, standardised operating procedures and combined emergency response provisions.”
Dudgeon is owned by Equinor, Masdar and China Resources Company.
Sheringham Shoal is owned by Equinor, Equitix Offshore 5 (co-owned by Equitix and TRIG) and a fund managed by Macquarie Asset Management.
Equinor is the operator of both wind farms and has been functioning out of Norfolk for close to a decade.