Jones Bros Civil Engineering UK has brought extra teams on site in preparation for the start of onshore high voltage cable installation for the first two 1200MW phases of the Dogger Bank offshore wind farm located off eastern England.
The company said it has increased the number of people on site to 70, with an additional trenching team of 14 plus six ground work and general construction apprentices.
There are also four trainee engineers on site, it added.
Jones Bros has also started preparatory work on other parts of the site, with construction of the first joint bays, where the undersea connection transitions onto land, set to take place in the coming weeks.
In total, approximately 129km of electrical cabling will be used along a 32km route to make the land-based connection for Dogger Bank A and B.
The first cable delivery is planned for early summer, the company said.
Jones Bros project manager James Lockwood said: “It’s really pleasing to be able to ramp up the pace now we’ve brought the second trenching team onto the site.
“Horizontal directional drilling has also resumed on the parts of the site where trench digging isn’t possible because of obstacles like roads or watercourses along with pre-construction land drainage, and construction of the of the remaining internal site access tracks.
“Over winter, the focus has been on maintenance and creating site access roads.
“We had a scheduled break due to the prevailing conditions, but all eyes are now on moving the project forward with further installation of electrical ducts, construction of the joint bays, and preparing for the delivery of the high voltage cables in June.”
Dogger Bank Wind Farm onshore project manager Oliver Flattery said: “Despite the challenges thrown up by the global pandemic, the project remains on track and I’m pleased to say we’ve been able to achieve our first major milestones safely, and on time.
“The safety of our communities and those working on our sites remains of paramount importance to us as we pick up pace in 2021 and start installing the cables that will provide renewable energy for UK households.”
Dogger Bank A and B is a joint venture between SSE Renewables (40%), Equinor (40%) and Eni (20%), while Dogger Bank C is a 50:50 joint venture between SSE Renewables and Equinor.