Norwegian Equinor and SSE Renewables, the two companies behind the world's biggest offshore wind farm Dogger Bank, plan to build a new Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Base at the Port of Tyne in England, Equinor announced Wednesday.
According to the statement, the overall wind farm makes up three 1.2-gigawatt (GW) phases with each phase being located more than 130 kilometers from the northeast coast of England.
When operational, the farm is projected to produce enough renewable electricity for over 4.5 million UK homes.
Construction of the wind farm, led by SSE Renewables, began in January 2020 and as operator for the operations phase. Equinor will construct this new O&M base, and operate the wind farm for its expected life of more than 25 years.
Total investments in the project are estimated at around £9 billion pounds (US$11 billion) between 2020 and 2026.
Britain’s Business Secretary Alok Sharma said that, 'projects like Dogger Bank will be a key part of ensuring a green and resilient economic recovery as well as reaching our target of net zero emissions by 2050.'
Equinor's Senior Vice President for North Sea Energy Solutions Stephen Bull said the UK Government has legislated to cut carbon emissions to net zero by 2050.
'Major renewable energy projects, like Dogger Bank ensures Britain’s leadership as the number one offshore wind nation. The project also brings new investment to the UK at a challenging time for us all and secures more than 200 jobs in the region.'
SSE Renewables Director of Capital Projects Paul Cooley said the O&M base would bring significant socio-economic benefits to the area during construction and throughout the project’s lifetime.
By Gokce Kucuk Topbas
Anadolu agency
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