Dogger Bank Wind Farm and its delivery partners have successfully completed the installation of the High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) offshore substation platform at Dogger Bank C. This achievement signifies the full installation of all three offshore substations for what will be the world's largest offshore wind farm currently under construction.

The Dogger Bank C platform, manufactured and supplied by Aibel, was installed by Heerema Marine Contractors’ Sleipnir vessel. The massive structure measures approximately 75 by 50 metres across and stands 36 metres high, resting on a four-legged steel jacket foundation fixed to the seabed at an average depth of around 23 metres. The platform topside was installed safely just a week after its jacket foundation.

Olly Cass, Project Director for Dogger Bank Wind Farm, highlighted the significance of this milestone: “The installation of our third offshore substation platform marks a significant leap on our journey to delivering renewable energy for around 6 million UK homes annually once the wind farm is complete. Our strong partnership with Aibel, Hitachi Energy and our installation partners, with Heerema installing this third platform, has been key to the seamless completion and handover of these three pioneering structures. This is a significant moment for the project team, our delivery partners and for the UK’s clean energy transition."

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The innovative Aibel platform boasts a lean design and was notable as the first unmanned HVDC platform to be installed when the first of the project’s three platforms was delivered at the Dogger Bank A phase in 2023. These substations are designed for remote operation from shore, requiring access only by a Service Operations Vessel.

Further commissioning activities will now take place on the platform to prepare it for future transmission of renewable energy. Each of the three platforms is capable of receiving 1.2GW of AC power from Dogger Bank’s offshore wind turbines and converting it to DC. This clean power is then efficiently transmitted ashore to three onshore convertor stations located near Beverley in East Riding of Yorkshire and near Redcar on Teesside. Dogger Bank is the first offshore wind project in the UK to employ Hitachi Energy’s latest generation HVDC converter technology for long-distance, low-loss electricity transmission.

Mads Andersen, Aibel President and CEO, expressed pride in the achievement: "The successful installation of the DBC converter platform marks a proud milestone for Aibel and our partner Hitachi Energy. We are honoured to have contributed to the world’s largest offshore wind farm by delivering three lean and effective converter platforms. This achievement reflects the strength of our collaboration with the client partners, the dedication of our teams, and our shared commitment to accelerating the energy transition."

Martijn Kuipers, Project Director for Doggerbank C at Heerema, added: “Completing the installation of the Dogger Bank C offshore substation platform marks a proud milestone for Heerema. The thorough preparations and seamless collaboration between Sleipnir’s skilled crew, our project team, Dogger Bank Wind Farm and our subcontractors, enabled us to safely and successfully install the jacket and topside. This achievement reflects Heerema’s commitment to delivering complex offshore projects with precision and innovation, and we are proud to contribute to the UK’s energy transition."