OHT have been announced as the preferred supplier for foundation installation works at the pioneering Dogger Bank Offshore Wind Farm.

The offshore wind farm, a joint venture between SSE Renewables and Equinor, is one of the most innovative offshore wind developments in the world, utilising state-of-the-art technology to deliver the 3.6GW wind farm.

OHT's Alfa Lift, set to be the world's largest and most efficient custom-built offshore wind foundation vessel, will be responsible for the transport and installation of monopile foundations and transition pieces for Dogger Bank's Creyke Beck A (1.2GW) and Creyke Beck B (1.2GW) wind farms.

Utilising a single vessel, the foundations will be transported to the offshore site, approximately 130km off the north-east coast of England, and installed in water depths of up to 35 metres. With her unrivalled cargo capacity, the Alfa Lift heavy installation crane vessel will carry 10 monopiles and transition pieces on deck per voyage.

The monopile foundations will be the base for the most powerful turbine in the world, GE's Haliade-X. The machine, the world's first 12MW turbine, recently celebrated first power from its prototype in Rotterdam.

Paul Cooley, SSE Renewables Director of Capital Projects, said: "Dogger Bank Wind Farms is paving the way for future offshore wind developments, not just in the UK but globally, by utilising some of the most innovative and efficient technology on the market, like the Alfa Lift vessel, and we are very pleased to have OHT working with us as we deliver this ground-breaking project."

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Steve Wilson, Project Director, Dogger Bank Wind Farms said: "The monopiles that will be installed at Dogger Bank will be amongst the largest ever used on an offshore wind farm and we needed a vessel that would allow us to deliver our project in the safest and most efficient way.

"OHT's Alfa Lift's capability offers us this solution and we look forward to working with them to deliver Dogger Bank Wind Farms."

Halfdan Brustad, Vice President for Dogger Bank at Equinor, said: "We are pleased to have OHT as our contractor for monopile installation. By bringing new, innovative and efficient vessels into the market, like this Alfa Lift vessel, we are helping to revolutionise the offshore wind industry. We need new entrants that can think differently and make the industry even more competitive. We look forward to working with OHT to make Dogger Bank a success."

Torgeir E. Ramstad, CEO OHT said: "We are humbled and honoured to be selected as the preferred supplier for this momentous project, bringing the world's largest and most capable offshore wind installation vessel to the world's largest wind farm, to support the world's most powerful turbines. We very much look forward to working with SSE Renewables and Equinor in a cooperative and transparent way to ensure the safe and timely execution of these key projects."

Transport and installation of the monopiles and transition pieces for Creyke Beck A and Creyke Beck B is expected to be performed between 2022 and 2024.

The Creyke Beck A and Creyke Beck B projects are now moving towards final investment decision, expected in 2020. SSE Renewables will lead the development and construction phases of Dogger Bank Wind Farms and Equinor will lead on operations once completed.

Dogger Bank will provide enough clean, low-carbon energy to power over 4.5 million homes annually, equivalent to around 5% of the UK's estimated electricity generation.

Dogger Bank Winds Farms, and its Tier 1 contractors, are committed to maximising UK supply chain opportunities on the project. The announcement today coincides with the launch of OHT's online supplier portal. Companies interested in working with OHT can register their services and their locations via the OHT website.

(MH/JG)