Aibel wins offshore wind contract at Dogger Bank

Aibel has been awarded a major* contract by the SSE Renewables and Equinor consortium who are developing the world's largest offshore wind farm in the Dogger Bank area in the UK part of the North Sea.

CB Field Aibel1
Illustration: Aibel.

Aibel will deliver two converter platforms for the Creyke Beck A and Creyke Beck B projects, with an option for a third platform for the Teesside A project at the same wind farm.

Creyke Beck A and B will have a lean design, with a steel jacket structure and no living quarter or helideck. The platforms will normally be unmanned, operated from shore and accessed only by SOV (Service Operations Vessel).

“This is an important strategic milestone for Aibel. With this award, we confirm our position as a preferred supplier in the European offshore wind segment and strengthen our role in the ongoing energy industry transformation,” says President and CEO, Mads Andersen.

The three projects will have a combined capacity of up to 3.6 GW, making Dogger Bank the largest offshore wind farm in the world, and are expected to produce enough energy to power the equivalent of 4.5 million UK homes.

Doggerbank gruppebilde
The contract was signed in Rotterdam on October 29. Present were representatives from Aibel, ABB, Equinor and SSE Renewables. Photo: Aibel.

Boom in offshore wind

In May 2019, Aibel was awarded a similar contract for the offshore wind project DolWin5 from the German grid operator TenneT. Projects within renewable energy are becoming an increasingly larger part of Aibel’s project portfolio.

The Dogger Bank project will be headed from Aibel Haugesund, while construction of the two platform topsides will take place at Aibel's yard in Thailand. They will then be transported to Haugesund, where they will be outfitted with ABB's latest generation HVDC converter technology, including final completion and commissioning.

"Our skilled engineers have for several years worked closely with our partner ABB, and together they have successfully developed integrated solutions that we proudly see win in a very competitive environment,” says Executive Vice President for Field development and Offshore wind in Aibel, Nils Arne Hatleskog.

"We have also established an efficient supply chain for our deliveries, and this award confirms our competitiveness,” continues Hatleskog.

The platform topside for the Creyke Beck A is scheduled to arrive in Haugesund in Q2 of 2022. It will be ready for sail away to Dogger Bank in Q1 of 2023, and final completion at the field in Q3 of 2023. The delivery of Creyke Beck B is scheduled for Q3 of 2024.

The platform for the DolWin5 project will be located in Haugesund from September 2022 until delivery in June 2023, at the same time as Creyke Beck A.

Doggerbank signing
Mads Andersen, CEO and President of Aibel (right), signed the contract together with Nils Arne Hatleskog, Vice President for Field development and Offshore wind. Photo: Aibel.

*Aibel uses the term "major" on contracts where the value of Aibel is over NOK 2.5 billion.