SSE Renewables and Equinor have announcd the confirmation of a grid connection location from the Electricity System Operator (ESO) for a proposed fourth phase of the world's largest offshore wind farm.

Dogger Bank D will now connect into Birkhill Wood, a proposed new 400kV substation located in the East Riding of Yorkshire which will be built as part of National Grid's Great Grid Upgrade.

The announcement follows the publication of an impact assessment for the South Cluster by ESO, relating to energy projects which are due to be electrically connected off the east coast of England.

With the location of a grid connection confirmed, Dogger Bank D will now focus its full attention on connecting to the electrical transmission system.

The project is also exploring the future possibility of the development of Dogger Bank D to be coordinated with an Offshore Hybrid Asset between the UK and another European country's electricity market to form a multi-purpose interconnector. This option would increase energy security for the UK and reduce the need to curtail offshore wind output in times of oversupply on the GB network.

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The project team are undertaking a site selection process to identify potential cable corridors and where other onshore infrastructure associated with the grid connection at Birkhill Wood may be sited. Consultation will be held later this year to introduce the connection proposals to the local community.

Rob CussonsDogger Bank D Project Manager, said

"Dogger Bank D welcomes this confirmation which supports our ambition to develop this proposed offshore wind farm. Dogger Bank D promises to build on the legacy we're creating through the earlier phases of the Dogger Bank Wind Farm, during which we are working hard to deliver safe and respectful construction both offshore and onshore, as well as generating socio-economic value for current and future generations. We look forward to continuing these high standards for project development and working with our stakeholders to plan and deliver a sustainable and secure energy system."

With the confirmation of an onshore grid connection location in the East Riding of Yorkshire, the option to direct the wind energy produced by Dogger Bank D towards hydrogen production, as publicly consulted on in Autumn 2023, has been retired from the project. Plans to produce green hydrogen at a dedicated onshore facility had been explored in parallel with the electrical transmission opportunity by Dogger Bank D since the announcement of the project in February 2023. In response to the public consultation held last year, a feedback report for Dogger Bank D will be published later this month. This will contain a project update outlining the future direction for Dogger Bank D in addition to the findings from all feedback received. Representatives for the project have started early discussions with stakeholders about updated proposals for the project and are looking forward to actively engaging with communities on the progression of Dogger Bank D.