NKT seals hat-trick of high voltage cable deals for world's biggest offshore wind farm

Swedish contractor adds export lines for UK Dogger Bank 'C' plant to 'A' and 'B' orders from developer Equinor-SSE, with manufacturing to start next year

NKT HVDC cable being laid out off an installation vessel
NKT HVDC cable being laid out off an installation vesselFoto: NKT

Cabling giant NKT has set the seal on a hat-trick of orders for the world’s largest offshore wind farm, the UK’s 3.6GW Dogger Bank, with confirmation of supply of the 250km-long high voltage export line for the complex’s ‘C’ plant.

The €280m ($330m) order for the third phase of the giant Equinor-SSE development, will encompass delivery of a pair of 320kV high voltage direct current (HVDC) power cables and accessories.

Manufacturing at NKT’s factory in Karlskrona, Sweden, is slated for next year, with installation by the cable-laying vessel NKT Victoria to follow, and commissioning planned in 2026.

“The order for Dogger Bank C completes our involvement in the overall Dogger Bank wind farm project, as we were also awarded the export power cable systems for the Dogger Bank A and B phases in 2019,” said Alexander Kara, CEO of NKT, which first announced it was in the frame for the ‘C’ contract last November.

“This underlines our ability and knowhow to handle very large turnkey projects. When fully commissioned the Dogger Bank offshore wind farm will be the world’s largest and the first high-voltage DC connected wind farm in the UK.”

The contract award remains subject to Dogger Bank C reaching financial close in late 2021.

Dogger Bank, which will generate around 5% of the UK demand for renewable electricity and supply energy to about 6m British households, recently passed its first key progress test under UK government support rules despite “unprecedented” Covid and legal challenges.
The construction of the Dogger Bank A and B is expected to cost a total of £6bn and will take place in two stages, with the first to be completed by 2023, and the second by 2024.The project will feature the 13MW version of GE's flagship Haliade-X machine, currently the largest operational wind turbine on the planet.
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Published 30 June 2021, 11:59Updated 30 June 2021, 12:06
UKDogger BankOffshore windEquinorSSE