ANOTHER North East company was today announced as the latest key partner in the construction of the world’s biggest wind farm, Dogger Bank – which will see another 90 jobs supported by the region’s burgeoning renewable energy industry.

Eastgate Engineering (EE), based in Billingham, Teesside, will provide mechanical and electrical services for the pre-assembly of the towers and nacelles for the massive Haliade-X turbines to be used in the £9billion project.

GE Renewable Energy (GERE) announced today that they have awarded the work to EE; a contract expected to support around 90 local jobs, including electrical and mechanical technicians, supervision and project management.

This workforce will carry out the installation, testing and commissioning works, including high-voltage cable connection and very low frequency (VLF) cable testing prior to assembly of the three tower sections and nacelles for each huge turbine.

The huge turbine components are being built in various locations worldwide, including GERE’s huge facility in Sunderland’s twin town of Saint Nazaire, in north west France.

Before they can be shipped out to the wind farm site, 130kms offshore, they have to be prepared, which is the focus of the work which EE have been awarded.

Their team will carry out mechanical and electrical engineering work, at Able Seaton Port, near Hartlepool, which is the Dogger Bank offshore wind farm marshalling harbour. 

Dogger Bank is not the first renewable energy project EE has worked on: the company previously supplied similar services to the Hornsea 1 offshore wind farm, owned by Danish energy giant Ørsted, and has also worked on biomass projects.

Work there began in January 2023 and is expected to continue throughout all three phases of turbine pre-assembly, which will involve 277 units and is set to conclude in 2026.

GE started preparing the marshalling harbour at the end of 2022 and began receiving the initial components in January this year.

Nathan Fahey, GE project director, said EE were chosen because: “They have the expertise and strong local presence we are looking for in the companies we are engaging to support this project. 

“This award is another in a series of contracts with companies in the Teesside area that will both support and create jobs, today and well into the future.”

EE managing director David Brennan said, “Eastgate Engineering is delighted to work in close partnership with GE to deliver the world’s largest offshore wind farm.

“Our highly skilled, locally-based workforce is excited to support such a historic project, with such an important role to play in bringing more clean, renewable offshore wind online in the UK.”

Dogger Bank Wind Farm commercial director Simon Bailey, said, “Eastgate Engineering is a very welcome addition to our Dogger Bank Wind Farm supply chain, as they help us prepare for turbine installation later this year.

“They are one of a number of firms in the North East bringing expertise to our world-leading project, which is supporting more than 2,000 UK-based roles during construction and operation.”

Last December GERE revealed it had selected Mammoet UK, based in Thornaby Teesside, to supply onshore heavy lifting and transport for the staging and assembly of the turbine components at Able Seaton.

Dogger Bank: an international undertaking

• Dogger Bank Wind Farm is located more than 130km off the North East coast and is being delivered by joint venture partners SSE Renewables (the Perth-based renewables subsidiary of SSE plc) and Equinor (Norway’s biggest oil company, which is an international operator now developing into renewable energy) and Vårgrønn (a Norwegian offshore wind developer), which owns 20%.
• SSE Renewables is leading on construction and delivery, while Equinor will operate the wind farm on completion. Both companies own 40% of the project, while Vårgrønn owns the remaining 20%.
• Dogger Bank is being built in three consecutive 1.2-gigawatt phases; Dogger Bank A, Dogger Bank B and Dogger Bank C.
• When complete, the wind farm will include 277 giant turbines, in the three clusters – each with blades 107 metres long – that’s twice the wingspan of the Gateshead Angel of the North.
• Each turbine – manufactured by GE and known as a ‘Haliade-X’ – will stand 260 metres above the waves at its tallest point, dwarfing London’s Big Ben and only about 60 meters shorter than the Eiffel Tower.
• The turbines are being installed by a specially-built vessel called the Voltaire, which is even taller than the Eiffel Tower
• The operations and maintenance base, from which Dogger Bank will be managed, is based at the Port of Tyne complex and is due to open soon.

You can read more fascinating facts about Dogger Bank on its official website here.