In addition to Dogger Bank A and B, each featuring 95 units of 13 MW turbines, Jan De Nul Group has now also signed Dogger Bank C for transport and installation of 87 GE Haliade-X turbines of 14 MW each. The wind farm 200 km off the Yorkshire coast will be the first assignment of Jan De Nul’s new jack-up installation vessel Voltaire.
The 3.6 GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm, which is being delivered in the North Sea in three 1.2 GW phases, is set to be the world’s largest offshore wind farm when complete. Winning the third contract means Jan De Nul will install a total of 277 units at the wind farm. The contract is subject to Dogger Bank C reaching Financial Close in late 2021.
The first two phases, Dogger Bank A and B, are a joint venture between Equinor, SSE Renewables and Eni. The third phase, Dogger Bank C, is being developed on a different timescale and is owned by SSE Renewables and Equinor. When complete, it will generate enough energy to power over 6 million UK homes every year.
First Ultra-Low Emission installation vessel
For the delivery and installation of the 14-MW turbines, Jan De Nul Group will mobilise its new jack-up installation vessel Voltaire, turning this project into its first assignment. The jack-up is currently under construction at Cosco Shipping Shipyard in Nantong, China. It will have a lifting capacity of over 3000 tonnes and will enter into service in 2022.
Also read: Keel laid for Jan De Nul’s new offshore jack-up installation vessel
It is named after the pioneering European Enlightenment philosopher and is fitted with a highly advanced exhaust filtering system by means of a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system and a diesel particulate filter, making it the very first seagoing installation vessel of its kind to be an Ultra-Low Emission vessel (ULEv), moreover Stage V-certified.
‘With a lifting capacity of more than 3000 tonnes, the ultra-clean Voltaire vessel is set to become the world’s largest jack-up vessel when it enters service in 2022,’ says Steve Wilson, Dogger Bank Wind Farm’s project director at SSE Renewables. ‘Securing this state-of-the-art vessel for all three phases of Dogger Bank Wind Farm is another reminder of how we’re working with our suppliers to drive innovation in offshore wind.’
Philippe Hutse, director Offshore Division at Jan De Nul Group, adds: ‘Dogger Bank Wind Farm is exactly the type of project we had in mind when we took the decision to build our Voltaire. The scale and characteristics of the offshore Dogger Bank and turbines offer the perfect challenge for this jack-up. We are proud to be recognised in our choices.’
Also read: Jan de Nul awarded turbine installation contract at Dogger Bank
