Developers of 5GW of offshore wind farms in the Dogger Bank are laying the groundwork to unleash multi-year build campaigns at four projects that have secured support in the third Contracts for Difference round.
Equinor and SSE – joint developers of the 1.2GW Creyke Beck A, 1.2GW Creyke Beck B and 1.2GW Teesside A projects – are planning a final investment decision on their projects in 2020, and looking to bring Creyke Beck A online by 2023.
“Further phases of the Dogger Bank project will be developed thereafter,” the developers said.
NKT is the preferred bidder for the supply and installation of the HVDC export cables for the Creyke Beck A and B projects.
The cable outfit will provide four 175 kilometre lengths of 320kV DC offshore cables for the project and four 32 kilometre spans of onshore wire of the same rating.
The wires will be produced at facilities in Karlskrona, Sweden from 2021 and the first lengths installed from 2021, NKT said.
NKT will install the offshore cables using its vessel Victoria and said the value of the contract was €380mln.
In total, Developers said the three Dogger Bank projects will require a capital investment of £9bn between 2020 and 2026.
SSE will be the lead operator during the project construction phase and Equinor will head up the operations phase of the project.
“The successful bids for the world’s largest offshore wind development represent a game-changer for our offshore wind business,” said Equinor chief executive Eldar Saetre.
“A full-scale development of Dogger Bank will constitute an industrial wind hub in the heart of the North Sea, playing a major role in the UK’s ambitions for offshore wind,” he added.
The developers secured 15-year support at £39.65/MWh, £41.61/MWh and £41.61/MWh for the Dogger Bank Creyke Beck A, Creyke Beck B and Teesside A projects, respectively.
SSE Renewables managing director Jim Smith said the CfD3 success was built on years of hard-won experience in the industry.
“We are thrilled at the success of our offshore wind projects at Dogger Bank. which combined will be the largest wind farm in the world. Reaching this point has been a culmination of over 10 years of development and it is very exciting to work with Equinor on taking the project forward,” he said.
Innogy is meanwhile preparing to start construction of its 1.4GW Sofia project, also in the Dogger Bank, in 2021 following a final investment decision on the project.
The site lies some 195km off the coast of the UK, covers an area of almost 600 square kilometres and secured supports at £39.65 per megawatt hour.
The developer said design refinement work at the project is ongoing.
Sofia Project Director David Few, who led the project through the auction said teamwork was essential in securing a CfD success.
“It has been a huge team effort with many complexities and I congratulate everyone who has worked so diligently to ensure Sofia’s success as they have all played a role in today’s fantastic achievement,” he said.
“Now we have won a CfD we intend to progress the project through the latter stages of development and design, working closely with our major suppliers, a wide cross section of stakeholders and the local Teesside community.”
Innogy’s director of offshore wind Paul Cowling said the CfD3 results showed offshore wind can play a central role in helping the UK deliver on its net zero 2050 commitment.
“The sector’s foresight has enabled the UK to take the lead globally in the deployment of offshore wind, with this auction confirming that costs are now down to a level well below that of fossil fuel generated electricity,” he said.