Statoil unveils Dudgeon base

Statoil has opened an operations centre in Great Yarmouth for its 402MW Dudgeon offshore wind farm off the Norfolk coast.

The centre will serve as an onshore base for more than 70 people working full-time on the operations and maintenance of the £1.5bn project, Statoil said.

A former warehouse on the south bank of the river harbour has been completely redeveloped to accommodate offices and a dedicated 24/7 control room, it said.

The offshore wind farm is expected to start operating in early 2017.

The opening event today will also include the naming of the wind farm’s purpose-built 84-metre service operations vessel, Esvagt Njord. The vessel will accommodate up to 40 turbine technicians, who will walk to work via a gangway system.

“The location for the O&M base is ideal and we have a purpose built office ideal for our operations,” Statoil Wind Operations UK head Rune Rønvik said. “In a wider perspective Statoil may serve other wind farms from this Great Yarmouth base.”

“Already it has been made a principle decision to provide Hywind Scotland – the new pilot wind farm of floating wind turbines currently under construction for installation off the east coast of Scotland – with technical O&M support and control room services from here.”

Image: Statoil