Contract signed for transport and installation of Dogger Bank A foundations

The construction of OHT’s Alfa Lift is progressing well at China Merchant Heavy Industries fabrication yard in Jiangsu Province, China.

31 July 2020: Dogger Bank Wind Farm has signed a contract with OHT for the transport and installation of foundations for the 1.2GW first phase of the project, Dogger Bank A. 

The 3.6GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm, which is being delivered in the North Sea in three 1.2GW phases, is set to be the world’s largest offshore wind farm when complete and is a joint venture between SSE Renewables and Equinor.

The monopile foundations will be amongst the largest ever used for offshore wind and their installation will mark the monopile installation debut for OHT’s specialist new-build vessel, the Alfa Lift. The foundations are expected to be installed between 2022 and 2023 at Dogger Bank A.

The announcement follows on from OHT being chosen as the preferred supplier in November 2019 for the transport and installation of foundations for the first two phases of the project: Dogger Bank A and Dogger Bank B. The contract for the second phase, Dogger Bank B, is expected to follow in due course.

Since the preferred supplier contract was announced in November last year, planning for the project has progressed well and OHT is keen to engage with the local supply chain. OHT is already in detailed discussions regarding supply contracts with multiple UK companies and will soon be announcing details of some of the remaining key scopes of work they are looking to award. 

Companies interested in supplying OHT can register on the supplier portal on their website.

Steve Wilson, Dogger Bank’s Project Director, said: “It’s great news to confirm the OHT Alfa Lift vessel for Dogger Bank A. Their vessel is one of the most innovative heavy transportation and installation vessels on the market and we are very pleased to have them working with us as we deliver this ground-breaking project.”

“We look forward to working with Norway’s OHT to make Dogger Bank a success. The Alfa Lift is an excellent example of the new, efficient and innovative vessels which we need to revolutionise the offshore wind industry and make it even more competitive,” Halfdan Brustad, vice president for Dogger Bank in Equinor, said.

Alfa Lift will transport the monopile foundations and transition pieces to the North Sea offshore site, more than 130km off the north-east coast of England, and install them in water depths up to 35 metres, utilising the vessel’s class leading 3,000-tonne crane, state-of-the-art mission equipment, and smart deck handling system.

Torgeir Ramstad, CEO, OHT, said: “The contract is a significant milestone for OHT and we welcome the opportunity to demonstrate Alfa Lift’s market-leading capabilities in delivering this landmark project. We are privileged to be working with likeminded, forward-thinking colleagues at SSE Renewables and Equinor.”

OHT’s Alfa Lift vessel, of Ulstein design, will arrive in Europe in good time before project mobilisation.