NMCN plc

09/22/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/22/2021 05:19

Dogger Bank Wind Farm and nmcn support school health event

Representatives from the team building the world's largest offshore wind farm took part in a health promotion event this week to inspire young people at an East Riding primary school.

The week-long series of health-focused events was organised by Woodmansey CE Primary School, with the Dogger Bank team invited along to address the health and safety-related aspects of the offshore wind industry.

A representative from nmcn, a construction firm working on behalf of Dogger Bank's tier one supplier Hitachi ABB Power Grids, shared exerts from the company's "When I grow up" career story book. nmcn, which is supporting the construction of the wind farm's first onshore convertor station, near Beverley, is donating a copy of the award-winning book to every primary school in East Riding. More information about the book is available at https://nmcn.com/news/when-i-grow-up-nmcn-childrens-book/

Woodmansey CE Primary School Head of School, Bethan Nicholls, said: "When we first heard about the role Woodmansey was playing in the installation of the largest offshore wind farm, we knew we had to share this journey with the children. Our annual Health Week provided the perfect platform for Rachel and Chris to come and share the benefits of wind farms and how the children's very own village was being used.

"STEM is such a vital area of the curriculum and events such as this provide the children with real experience of the industry, hopefully inspiring some of our children to seek future careers within the science, technology, engineering or maths sectors. We are very grateful to Rachel and Chris for their engagement with us."

Community Engagement Manager for Dogger Bank Wind Farm, Rachel Lawrence, said: "The onshore cable route for the wind farm runs directly underneath the village of Woodmansey, and local children would have seen critical work going on near their school very recently. So it's been great to have the opportunity to come in and talk to the children about how those cables will eventually transmit renewable energy to millions of UK homes, as well as sharing important health and safety messages from across the green energy sector.

"The children enjoyed trying on some protective clothing and asked some impressive questions about the energy transition.

"It was also great to have the support of nmcn to share their impressive career storybook, which they're offering to all 124 primary schools in East Riding."

In June Dogger Bank Wind Farm unveiled plans to invest £1 million in coastal communities during its construction. The programme will put science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), at the heart of children's education, helping them prepare for jobs that will be vital to the green economic recovery of the UK. Local community organisations can also apply for grants up to £500 at https://doggerbank.com/about/community/

The East Riding part of the programme was developed in partnership with East Riding of Yorkshire Council, providing opportunities for all 124 primary schools in the county to in increase and expand their STEM provision. The programme will also be rolled out on Teesside where the wind farm's third phase connects to the National Grid, as well as South Tyneside where the operation and maintenance base will be located.

nmcn Business Development Manager, Chris Withers, said: "The Dogger Bank Wind Farm is a major development which will deliver a number of benefits for both the public and supply chain. Through nmcn's involvement in the project on behalf of Hitachi ABB Power Grids providing the civil engineering scope, we are also delighted to be able to visit Woodmansey Primary School to provide an insight into the construction industry, deliver health and safety advice and inspire future generations."

Dogger Bank Wind Farm, which is to be built more than 130km off the Yorkshire coast in the North Sea, is currently being developed in three 1.2GW phases: Dogger Bank A, B and C.

Dogger Bank A and B is a joint venture between SSE Renewables (40 per cent), Equinor (40 per cent) and Eni (20 per cent), and will connect the National Grid between Beverley and Cottingham. Dogger Bank C is a 50:50 joint venture between SSE Renewables and Equinor and will connect the National Grid on Teesside.

Work on the onshore convertor station for Dogger Bank A began in the summer, at a site off the A1079 between Beverley and Cottingham. The convertor station will take the electricity generated by the wind turbines from the first phase of the wind farm in the North Sea, and convert it from HVDC to HVAC current, before the power passes through the adjacent main substation into the National Grid for distribution to homes and businesses.

nmcn is carrying out civil engineering work at the site on behalf of Hitachi ABB Power Grids. Hull-based Ashcourt Group previously carried out preparation work at the A1079 site on behalf of Hitachi ABB Power Grids.

Dogger Bank Wind Farm awarded contracts to Hitachi ABB Power Grids to install its HVDC Light® technology to connect the transmission link on all three phases of Dogger Bank Wind Farm, making it the UK's first HVDC-connected windfarm.

About Dogger Bank Wind Farm:

  • The 3.6GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm will be the world's largest offshore wind farm when completed in 2026.
  • It is being built in three 1.2GW phases: Dogger Bank A, B and C.
  • Dogger Bank A and B is a joint venture between SSE Renewables (40%), Equinor (40%) and Eni (20%). Dogger Bank C is a 50:50 joint venture between Equinor and SSE Renewables.
  • SSE Renewables is lead operator for the development and construction of Dogger Bank Wind Farm. Equinor will be lead operator of the wind farm for the duration of the wind farm's operational phase
  • Financial Close on Dogger Bank A and Dogger Bank B was reached in November 2020. Financial Close for Dogger Bank C is expected in late 2021.
  • Consent for Dogger Bank Wind Farm was granted in 2015.
  • Each of the three phases of Dogger Bank Wind Farm secured 15-year CfD contracts for 1.2GW of low carbon power for of low carbon power production in the UK's third CfD Allocation Round, announced September 2019.
  • In May 2021, Dogger Bank Wind Farm took another major step forward after passing a required delivery milestone under the UK's Contracts for Difference scheme for low carbon power.
  • Dogger Bank Wind Farm is located in the North Sea, with each phase more than 130km from the Yorkshire Coast.
  • Onshore construction began in 2020 and is currently underway for Dogger Bank A and Dogger Bank B, with offshore construction on Dogger Bank A due to begin in Q2 2022. First power is expected in Summer 2023 and Summer 2024 for Dogger Bank A and B, respectively, with commercial operations to follow around 6 months later.
  • Turbine installation for Dogger Bank C will begin in 2025.
  • Almost 3000 new UK jobs have been announced so far that will be supported by the construction and operation of Dogger Bank Wind Farm.
  • These include up to 750 direct and around 1,500 indirect jobs associated with the set-up of a new world-class blade manufacturing facility on Teesside by LM Wind Power, a GE Renewable Energy business, with production due to start in 2023.
  • 470 jobs are expected to be recruited by GE Renewable Energy across the north-east of England in support of the delivery and operation of all three phases of the project. These will be made up of around 300 skilled roles for turbine installation and commissioning activities and 170 servicing roles at Port of Tyne under GE's five-year Service and Warranty Agreements for Dogger Bank phases A, B and C once operational.
  • At least a further 30 roles will be hired by Equinor as operator of the wind farm, based at the Port of Tyne or offshore.
  • 130 new full-time UK-based jobs will be created by North Star Renewables in crewing and shore-based roles for the operation of the three-vessel service fleet for Dogger Bank Wind Farm.
  • Up to 100 peak construction jobs will be created by Jones Bros. Civil Engineering, one of the UK's leading civil engineering contractors, on the installation of onshore cable infrastructure for Dogger Bank A and B.
  • Dogger Bank A and B has confirmed GE's Haliade-X 13MW as the turbine powering the first two phases of the project. As the first order for the Haliade-X 13MW, installation at Dogger Bank A will be the first time the turbine is installed in the world.
  • Installation of GE's upscaled Haliade-X 14MW turbine at Dogger Bank C will be the first time the 14MW turbine is installed in the world.
  • One rotation of the Haliade-X turbine blades can power one UK home for more than two days.
  • The wind turbines will be installed on monopile foundations.
  • The project will be the first High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) connected wind farm in the UK due to its distance from shore, introducing new transmission systems to the UK and paving the way for other large offshore wind farms.
  • For more information about Dogger Bank Wind Farm visitwww.doggerbank.com