Dogger Bank A commissioning delayed to 2025 – SSE
Dogger Bank A commissioning delayed to 2025 - SSE | Windpower Monthly
UK utility SSE has confirmed its 1.2GW Dogger Bank A project – part of the world’s largest offshore wind farm – is now due online in the first half of 2025, one year later than planned.
The project has been impacted by “poor North Sea weather, installation vessel availability and supply chain delays”, SSE confirmed in its financial report for the first quarter of 2024.
However, the utility still expects to benefit financially as the wind farm is gradually brought online, with Dogger Bank A causing its operating profits to “increase significantly year on year”.
All of the project’s monopiles and transition pieces have now been installed, while installation of the wind farm’s inter-array cables is also “well progressed”, it added.
Turbine installation has been affected by challenging weather conditions, with vessel availability and supply chain delays further impacting progress, SSE confirmed.
The project’s installation vessel has now returned to the site off the north-east coast of England, meaning turbine installation has now resumed. SSE expects this to continue uninterrupted over the summer months.
It had also paused turbine installation earlier this month after a blade was damaged.
SSE does not expect the delays to Dogger Bank A to materially affect returns on the project, it stated.
The utility had raised the possibility of delaying the project to 2025 earlier this year.
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