Forewind

The Dogger Bank zone is in the North Sea, located between 125 and 195 kilometres off the east coast of Yorkshire. It extends over approximately 8660 km2 with its outer limit aligned to UK continental shelf limit as defined by the UK Hydrographic Office. The water depth ranges from 18–63 metres.

As the development partner, Forewind will now begin to carry out the extensive surveys, assessments and planning required for the consent process. The consortium’s commitment is to secure all the necessary consents for the construction and development of Dogger Bank, up to the point of an investment decision, which is anticipated around late 2014.

Forewind has agreed with The Crown Estate a target installed capacity of 9GW, though the zone has a potential for approximately 13GW, which equates to around 10 per cent of the total projected UK electricity requirements. If developed it is likely to be the world’s largest offshore wind project.

Forewind’s four partners are: SSE (Scottish and Southern Energy plc); RWE npower renewables, the UK subsidiary of RWE Innogy, and two of Norway’s largest companies, Statkraft and Statoil.

The consortium combines international offshore project delivery and renewables generation experience with UK utility expertise.

General Manager Frank-Are Steinbakk said: “The partners in the consortium are very pleased with the announcement of Forewind as the successful bidder for Dogger Bank. This is an exciting project and heralds a completely new era for offshore wind, however there are many technical and logistical challenges to be addressed so Forewind will need to both draw fully on the experience of each of the partners and also look for innovative suppliers and contractors to help us ensure we address all the issues and achieve consent.”

Roger Bright CB, Chief Executive of The Crown Estate said: “I am delighted to announce that Forewind has been awarded the right to develop Dogger Bank in our Round 3 offshore wind programme. The 32GW of installed capacity proposed by the offshore wind energy developers for 2020 would supply a quarter of the UK’s electricity needs. This means the UK will have a secure and low carbon electricity supply. In addition, the UK economy will benefit, as offshore wind is a growth industry that will create new businesses and jobs as well as attracting inward investment. The Crown Estate has the vested rights to develop the UK seabed for renewable energy and will continue to be a co-investor up to the point of consent. Our role now is to work together with our development partners to help deliver the projects.”