UK's Dogger Bank Wind Farm Faces Turbine Installation Delays

 

The developer of UK’s Dogger Bank offshore wind project, SSE, has warned that operations of the first phase of the site could be delayed until 2025. In a trading statement released last week, SSE said that turbine installation on Dogger Bank A has been affected by challenging weather conditions, with vessel availability and supply chain delays also playing a part.

“Following notification of further vessel unavailability over the coming weeks there is an increasing possibility that full operations will not be achieved until 2025, although this is not expected to materially change project returns. The business is working closely with its supply chain partners to improve current turbine installation rates,” SSE added.

The update on the delays comes almost five months after SSE announced that power had been generated for the first turbine at Dogger Bank A. This followed the installation of the first of GE Vernova’s Haliade- X13MW turbines. So far, seven turbines out of the expected total of 95 have been installed at the site.

The 3.6 GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm is being constructed in the UK’s North Sea waters, 70 nautical miles off the coast of Yorkshire.  It is being built in three 1.2 GW phases known as Dogger Bank A, B and C. It is regarded as the world’s largest offshore wind farm.  

The delays for SSE's project coincided with Orsted’s announcement of cutting back its growth target for 2030. For the past two years, Orsted has been facing severe pressure from supply chain challenges and high interest rates.

Although the European offshore industry has experienced multiple challenges recently, most companies are reporting a positive outlook as wind energy outpaces other sources. According to new data from energy think-tank Ember, wind power production surpassed gas plants in Europe for the first time in 2023.