Mega jack-up to officially debut on world’s largest offshore wind farm

Dogger Bank Wind Farm has signed a contract with Jan De Nul Group for the transport and installation of GE Haliade-X offshore wind turbines at Dogger Bank A and Dogger Bank B.

The installation of the 12 MW units at the site some 130 kilometres off the Yorkshire coast will start in 2023.

Turbine transport and installation at the first two 1.2 GW phases of Dogger Bank Wind Farm will be the first assignment for the world’s largest offshore jack-up installation vessel owned by Jan De Nul – the Voltaire.

Currently under construction, the Voltaire will enter service in 2022. It will have a lifting capacity of over 3,000 tonnes. When the vessel has its legs fully extended and the crane at full height, it will measure 325 metres tall – taller than the Eiffel Tower.

The Voltaire will also be the very first seagoing installation vessel of its kind to be an Ultra-Low Emission vessel (ULEv).

Steve Wilson, Dogger Bank Wind Farm’s Project Director at SSE Renewables, said: ”Jan De Nul has a proven track record of transporting and installing new generation offshore wind turbines at scale and its state-of-the-art Voltaire vessel will be the largest and ultra-clean jack up vessel ever seen in the industry when operational. This contract further demonstrates the industry-leading status of Dogger Bank Wind Farm and the innovative supply chain partners such as Jan De Nul that are delivering the project.”

The 3.6 GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm, which is being delivered in the North Sea in three 1.2 GW phases, will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm when complete and is a joint venture between SSE Renewables and Equinor.

When complete, Dogger Bank will generate enough energy to power over 4.5 million homes every year – around 5 per cent of the UK’s electricity needs.

“When taking the decision to build this exciting vessel we had exactly the type of project in mind like Dogger Bank Wind Farm in terms of scale and characteristics of the offshore sites and the turbines,” Philippe Hutse, Director Offshore Division at Jan De Nul Group, said.

”We are proud to contribute to the worldwide transition to renewable energies by installing the offshore wind turbines at Dogger Bank A and Dogger Bank B in the most efficient and clean manner possible.”

Dogger Bank Wind Farm secured 3.6 GW of offshore wind contracts in the UK Government’s 2019 contracts for difference auctions. Record low prices were awarded for the three projects making up Dogger Bank Wind Farm: Dogger Bank A, Dogger Bank B, and Dogger Bank C.

Dogger Bank A and Dogger Bank B are now moving towards final investment decision, expected by the end of 2020.

SSE Renewables is leading the development and construction phases of Dogger Bank Wind Farm and Equinor will lead on operations for its lifetime of at least 25 years from the Operations and Maintenance base at the Port of Tyne.

“Dogger Bank is a record-breaking project, leading the way in terms of technology and scale. We are so pleased to have secured the Voltaire vessel for this project, not only is it the largest of its kind, but also the first Ultra-Low Emission jack-up vessel, which is truly pioneering. Innovation across all levels of the supply chain has enabled offshore wind projects to grow in size whilst reducing costs, and this has been a large factor in the growing success of offshore wind,” Halfdan Brustad, Vice President for Dogger Bank at Equinor, said.