The cables for the Dogger Bank A were laid by DEME Offshore ‘s Viking Neptun, with burial works being completed by the company’s Living Stone vessel.
This work marks the completion of all inter-array cables on the first phase of the wind farm, the 1.2 GW Dogger Bank A, which began generating power in October 2023.
“With 277 cables to be installed in total, it’s by far the biggest inter-array cable installation programme undertaken to date in offshore wind,” said Alan Evans , Dogger Bank Wind Farm Marine Package Manager.
The laying of cables is carried out using a specialist cable-laying vessel that uses a carousel and tensioner device to deploy cable over the stern chute of the ship and onto the surface of the seabed. The second stage involves connecting the cable to the offshore platform as well as each wind turbine.
The network of 95 cables, in a multitude of lengths up to 8.6 miles (approximately 13.8 kilometers), will connect Dogger Bank A’s 95 Haliade-X 13 MW turbines to the project’s offshore converter station. From here, the electricity is converted into direct current for transmission to Dogger Bank A’s onshore converter station via a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) system.
Dogger Bank A was planned to enter commercial operation this year, however, SSE said in February that the 1.2 GW offshore wind farm may not be fully operational until 2025.
The delay is expected due to challenging weather conditions impacting wind turbine installation and vessel availability and supply chain delays further impacting progress, said SSE, which owns the wind farm together with Equinor and Vårgrønn.
The entire 3.6 GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm is scheduled to be completed in 2026.