The Dogger Bank offshore windfarm, which is set to become the world’s largest once commissioned in the mid-2020s, is also expected to use the world’s most powerful turbine – the 12MW Haliade-X – after GE Renewable Energy was selected as the preferred supplier.
The 3.6GW windfarm, located 130 kilometres off the Yorkshire coast, will be made up of three equally sized projects. All three secured agreements in the latest Contracts for Difference auction at strike prices of around £40/MWh.
Dogger Bank is a 50:50 joint venture between SSE Renewables, which will lead the development and construction phases, and Equinor, which will handle operations once it is completed.
The developers have agreed a preliminary deal with GE Renewable Energy to build the windfarm using its colossal Haliade-X turbine, which will stand 260 metres tall. The agreement will need to be confirmed following a final investment decision by the end of 2020.
Paul Cooley, director of capital projects at SSE Renewables, said: “The joint Equinor and SSE Renewables project team on Dogger Bank is excited to work with GE Renewable Energy to introduce the next generation of offshore wind turbine to the UK, and to be the first European windfarm to install and operate these innovative turbines.
“Dogger Bank will now be home to the largest offshore wind turbines in the world and to this pioneering low-carbon technology, which will play a central role in helping the UK become carbon neutral by 2050.”
Dogger Bank Wind Farms project director, Bjørn Ivar Bergemo, said: “Our success in the CfD auction was due in large part to the relationships we have built with our supply chain, which enabled the lowest ever strike prices.
“The Haliade-X represents a step change in turbine technology, and we look forward to working with GE Renewable Energy to maximise innovation and supply chain benefits for the UK.”
GE Renewable Energy revealed plans in March 2018 to spend $400 million developing the Haliade-X over the following three to five years. The turbine is being trialled at the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult’s test centre in Blyth, which recently took delivery of the 107-metre-long blades (see below).
The largest currently on the market is MHI Vesta’s V164 design, which has a tip height of 191 metres and can produce up to 10MW of power, depending on the specific model.