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Partnering with WREN, questionnaires are sent to offshore wind energy developers around the world who are involved in environmental monitoring. This page provides contextual project information and highlights environmental monitoring, providing links to available data and reports. Content is updated annually.

Dogger Bank Wind Farm

Dogger Bank Wind Farm

Contents

Wind Project Site

Title: Dogger Bank Wind Farm
Status:
Under Construction
Project Manager:
Equinor, SSE Renewables, Vårgrønn
Turbine Developer:
General Electric Company
Construction Start:
Operation Start:
Info Last Updated:
Contact:
Info
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Website:
External Link

Details

Technology:
Fixed Offshore Wind
Project Scale:
Commercial Farm
Turbine Model:
Haliade-X 13 MW
Hub Height:
260 m
Rotor Diameter:
220m
Number of Turbines:
277
Capacity per Turbine:
13 MW
Installed Capacity:
3601 MW
Support Structure:
Monopile
Inter-Array Cables:
66 kV
Export Cables:
Buried Seafloor Cables, DC
Export Cable Voltage:
320 kV
Number of Export Cables:
6
Cable Landfall:
Horizontal Directional Drill
Physical Site:
Shallow Water (<60m), Marine, Soft-Bottom Habitat
Water Depth:
18-63 km
Distance from Shore:
125-290 km
Country:
United Kingdom

Description

Dogger Bank Wind Farm is a joint venture between SSE Renewables (40%), Equinor (40%), and Vårgrønn (20%). SSE Renewables is leading on the development and construction and Equinor will operate the wind farm on completion and during its expected operational life of around 35 years. Dogger Bank Wind Farm is being constructed in 3 phases (Dogger Bank A, B, C) and will be capable of powering up to six million homes annually. Dogger Bank A and B phases will connect to the national grid near Beverley in East Riding of Yorkshire, while Dogger Bank C will connect to the grid near Redcar in the Tees Valley.

Dogger Bank D is a proposed fourth phase being developed by a 50/50 joint venture between SSE Renewables and Equinor. The proposed Dogger Bank D would be located in the eastern zone of the Dogger Bank C lease area, maximising the capacity of the existing acreage. The proposed development would be located around 210km off the north-east coast of England and cover an area of 262 km². The first phase of consultation on Dogger Bank D has now closed (26 September to 7 November 2023). As a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP), it will require a new Development Consent Order to facilitate the development, construction, and operation of the proposed project.

As of October 2023, Dogger Bank A was connected via a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission system to Britain’s national grid and is currently providing renewable power to homes and businesses, marking the first-time use of HVDC technology on a UK wind farm. First power followed the installation of the first of GE Vernova’s ground-breaking Haliade-X 13 MW turbines, one of the largest and most powerful globally, at the Dogger Bank site. This is the first time the 13  MW Haliade-X units have been energised offshore anywhere in the world. In another first, Dogger Bank is also using Jan de Nul’s Voltaire, the largest offshore jack-up installation vessel ever built and the first ultra-low emission ship of its kind.

Location

The Dogger Bank Offshore Development Zone, located between 125 and 290 km off the east coast of Yorkshire, extends over approximately 8660 km² and water depths range from 18 to 63 m. Its grid connection point will be north of the A1079 between Beverley and Cottingham in the East Riding of Yorkshire. The cable route will then connect to the National Grid at the existing substation at Creyke Beck and Lackenby. The installation base port is Seaton and the operations and maintenance port is Tyne.

Project Timeline

  • Late 2025: Expected completion of Dogger Bank A
  • July 2024: Inter-array cable works completed on Dogger Bank A
  • May 2024: Foundation installation campaign began on Dogger Bank B
  • April 2024: Offshore substation platform installed at Dogger Bank D
  • October 2023: Dogger Bank A produces power for first time
  • August 2023: Turbine installation commenced
  • April 2023: Installation of the world’s first unmanned HVDC offshore platform
  • March 2023: Official opening of the long-term operations and maintenance base at Port of Tyne
  • July 2022: Installation of the first monopile turbine foundations at Dogger Bank A
  • March 2022: Offshore construction began
  • December 2021: Financial close on Dogger Bank C
  • November 2021: Construction start of net zero carbon Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Base at the Port of Tyne
  • July 2021: Start of site preparation Work for Dogger Bank C
  • January 2020: Onshore construction began

Licensing Information

  • April 2025: Application to amend DCO for Dogger Bank A and B, enabling separate OFTO processes; stakeholder consultation opened
  • March 2024: Dogger Bank B European Protected Species Licence
  • August 2023: European Protected Species Licence for Dogger Bank A Generation Site
  • April 2023: Dogger Bank C UXO Investigation Campaign
  • February 2023: Marine Licence for the UXO Clearance at Dogger Bank B Array Site
  • March 2022: Marine Licence for the UXO Investigation Campaign for Dogger Bank A and B Array Site (excluding OSP)
  • July 2021: Marine Licence for Dogger Bank A and Dogger Bank B Export Cable and Offshore Platform UXO Clearance
  • April 2021: Nearshore UXO European Protected Species Licence for Dogger Bank A and Dogger Bank B
  • April 2021: Nearshore UXO Marine Licence for Dogger Bank A and Dogger Bank B
  • August 2015: Development Consent Order (as amended) for Dogger Bank C as made by the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
  • Marine Management Organisation (MMO) Deemed Marine Licenses contained within Schedules 8 and 10
  • January 2023: Marine Management Organisation (MMO) Deemed Marine Licenses contained within Schedules 10 and 11
  • February 2015: Development Consent Order (as amended) for Dogger Bank A and B as made by the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
  • Marine Management Organisation (MMO) Deemed Marine Licenses contained within Schedules 8, 9, 10, and 11
  • March 2014: Environmental Impact Statement Approved

Key Environmental Issues

The Environmental Impact Assessment predicted negligible to minor adverse (i.e. non-significant) residual impacts for the vast majority of impacts that were identified in relation to the offshore assessment for the Dogger Bank Project. The potential for moderate adverse residual impacts (identified as significant in line with the assessment methodology) was identified in relation to marine and coastal ornithology, commercial fisheries, and seascape and visual character.

  • Marine Physical Processes - Significant effects on waves and tidal currents were not anticipated. An increase in suspended sediment concentration and sediment deposition will be temporary. There will be no effect on sediment transport from linear cable protection.
  • Marine Water and Sediment Quality - Impacts during all phases, including an increase in suspended sediments and the potential re-suspension of contaminants, will be temporary and of low magnitude, leading to no significant residual impacts. The potential for pollution from the accidental spillage of chemicals, fuels or oil during the development was also considered and identified as low risk. Control measures will be in place to minimise the risk of a spill.
  • Marine and Coastal Ornithology - During construction (and decommissioning), the key impacts are disturbance and displacement. These are predominantly short-term and reversible impacts, which are not considered to be significant. During operation key impacts include: disturbance and displacement; barrier effect on breeding seabird and migratory wintering or passage bird populations; and collision risk. However, these are also not predicted to be significant for Dogger Bank Creyke Beck. Some impacts do become significant when considered cumulatively with other projects. Mitigation measures to reduce and minimise these impacts include: the western edge of Dogger Bank Creyke Beck B was moved to the east, away from the high-density seabird feeding area associated with sandeel; a reduction in the maximum number of turbines per project from 300 to 200 (since the EIA this has been reduced further); and an associated increase in the minimum lower blade tip height (from 22m to 26m) above highest astronomical tide.
  • Marine and Intertidal Ecology - Temporary disturbance of existing habitats and increases in suspended sediment levels was predicted to occur during the construction phase, with some permanent loss of habitat where infrastructure is fixed in place during operation. Impacts were not considered to be significant, since the areas of existing habitats that may be affected represent only a small proportion of similar seabed habitats in the wider region, and are generally of low sensitivity and high recoverability. Potential impacts on an area of Mytilus habitat identified in the nearshore section of the export cable corridor (if confirmed during pre-construction surveys) will be avoided through micro-siting of the export cables.
  • Fish and Shellfish Ecology - Fish and shellfish were predicted to be affected through temporary disturbance during construction, and permanent loss of habitat during operation. Potential impacts relating to noise and electromagnetic fields were been assessed. No significant residual impacts were identified for fish and shellfish ecology. The adoption of soft start piling will allow fish to move away from the noise source, whilst the western boundary of the development was modified in order to reduce the loss of habitat for the commercially important sandeel.
  • Marine Mammals - The key impacts for marine mammals are the potential for hearing injury and/or behavioural disturbance (such as displacement from a feeding area) during construction. The risk of causing hearing injury is mitigated through the use of a Marine Mammal Mitigation Protocol, which will aim to reduce the exposure of marine mammals to sources of noise. Behavioural disturbance impacts were not assessed as being significant for Dogger Bank.

During construction of the wind farm, Dogger Bank aims to increase and expand STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths) provision in local communities with bespoke programmes in each key area (East Riding of Yorkshire, South Tyneside, Redcar and Cleveland). Focus will be on the coastal communities nearest to the wind farm construction and operational bases.

Environmental Papers and Reports

Environmental Monitoring: Dogger Bank Wind Farm

ID Phase Stressor & Receptor Design and Methods Results Publications Data
2080186 Baseline Birds Bird Assessment
Monthly boat surveys within the Dogger Bank zone were undertaken between January 2010 and June 2012.
Aerial surveys were conducted over the Dogger Bank zone from spring 2010 through June 2012.
Survey results were analyzed and aerial data was used to inform the total number of birds and boat-based survey data was used to inform the species composition. 		Complete
The following species were found to be present during winter and breeding season: common scoter, northern fulmar, northern gannet, arctic skua, great skua, black-legged kittiwake, black-headed gull, common gull, lesser black-backed gull, herring gull, great black-backed gull, common guillemot, razorbill, and Atlantic puffin. 		Dogger Bank Wind Farm 2014 No data publicly available.
2080187 Baseline Fish Fish and Benthic Assessment
Bottom fish assemblages on Dogger Bank were analyzed during a research cruise from April 28 – May 9, 2006 using trawl surveys and data analysis. All sampling was conducted during the daytime. 		Complete
A total of 32 species of demersal groundfish were present in the otterboard trawl hauls on Dogger Bank. Grey gurnard (eutrigla gurnardus) and dab (limanda limanda) occurred in all hauls and dominated the biomass of most catches.
21 fish species occurred in the 2-m beam trawl catches. The five most abundant were solenette (buglossidium luteum) and lesser sandeel (A. marinus).
Each of the sampled sediments consisted of at least 85% sand. 		Sell and Kröncke 2013 No data publicly available.
2080188 Baseline Fish Fish and Shellfish Assessment
Adult and juvenile fish site specific characterization, site specific pelagic fish, sandeel, epibenthic and benthic, inshore shellfish, inshore trammel net, international bottom trawl, international herring larval, and ichthyoplankton surveys were conducted between 2008 and 2012. 		Complete
The North Central Community was comprised primarily of haddock, whiting, cod, Norway pout, saithe, and dab.
The Southeastern Community was comprised primarily of dab, whiting, grey gurnard, horse mackerel, plaice, and cod. 		Dogger Bank Wind Farm 2014 No data publicly available.
2080189 Baseline Marine Mammals Marine Mammal Assessment
Site specific aerial and boat based surveys were carried out to supplement existing data sets. Monthly boat based surveys were conducted between January 2010 and June 2012. Aerial surveys were conducted between May and August 2009 and November 2009 and March 2010. 		Complete
Bottlenose dolphin, common dolphin, Atlantic white-sided dolphin, Risso’s dolphin, and killer whale were suggested to occur occasionally within the Dogger Bank zone; however, due to the absence of zone specific sightings and low likelihood of occurrence, they were not moved forward in the assessment.
Low to no grey or harbour seals were recorded in the surveys. 		Dogger Bank Wind Farm 2014 No data publicly available.
2080190 Baseline Physical Environment Benthic Assessment
103 seabed sediment grab samples were collected across Tranche A as part of the wider benthic survey campaign undertaken between May 2011 and August 2011. All samples were analyzed for particle size distribution. 55 sites across Tranche B were also investigated. 		Complete
The top 200 m of the geology of Dogger Bank was dominated by sediment deposited during the Quaternary. The deeper Pleistocene formations preserved beneath tranches A & B of Dogger Bank were comprised of a variety of sedimentary units including marine, non-marine and intertidal sediments and till. Some units may be incised glacial sediments deposited in sub-glacial valleys. It is likely that some of these units approach within 50 m of the seabed beneath tranches A & B. 		Dogger Bank Wind Farm 2014 No data publicly available.
2080191 Baseline Physical Environment Marine Water and Sediment Quality Assessments
Data Analysis of 2022-2023 Catchment Data Explorer, Marine Management Organization’s Public Register, and sediment quality data from the 2013 and 2014 Dogger Bank Environmental Statements will be conducted. A site-specific survey to include chemical contaminant analysis is anticipated to be undertaken as part of the wider benthic ecology survey (geophysical survey, grab sampling, trawls, walkover surveys) in Q2 2023. 		In process
Results pending 		Royal Haskoning DHV 2023 No data publicly available.
2084099 Operations Noise

Fish 		Environmental Acoustic Monitoring
This study employed Static Acoustic Monitoring to conduct a temporo-spatial characterisation of the underwater soundscape near a newly installed offshore gas-production platform in the North Sea’s Dogger Bank Special Area of Conservation. Monitoring was performed at three distances from the wellhead (70 m, 5 km, and 10 km). Long-Term Spectrogram Analysis and percentile Power Spectral Densities were utilized to assess acoustic environments. Fish acoustic community analysis was conducted to explore the occurrence, richness, abundance, diel, and seasonal patterns of putative fish sounds. Principal Component Analysis was employed to infer potential sound-emitting species, using North Sea fish sounds from the Global Inventory of known fish sounds (https://fishsounds.net/ ) analyzed for the same acoustic features. 		Complete
The study revealed strong acoustic similarity across all monitoring sites, with no biophonic acoustic-mass phenomena present. Underwater Radiated Noise, concentrated below 2 kHz, dominated the soundscape at all locations. The fish acoustic community exhibited low levels of diversity (acoustic richness ranging from 1 to 2) and abundance (never above 2 sounds per minute). The fish sound type ‘Pulse Series’ (PS) was emitted at 70 m and 5 km in low abundance in September from approximately 19:00 to 23:00, with acoustic features closely matching those of Eutrigla gurnardus. The fish sound type ‘Low-frequency Down-Sweep’ (LF-DS) was recorded at all stations, with acoustic features closely matching grunts emitted by Gadus morhua. 		Bolgan et al. 2025 No data publicly available.