Dudgeon

Location and Overview

The Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farm is located approximately 32 kilometers off the coast of Cromer in North Norfolk, England, in the North Sea. It is one of the furthest offshore wind farms from the UK’s shoreline, situated in a relatively flat area of seabed between the Cromer Knoll and Inner Cromer Knoll sandbanks.

Ownership and Operation

The wind farm is owned by Dudgeon Offshore Wind Limited, a joint venture company comprising Equinor (35%, operator), Masdar (35%), and China Resources (Holdings) Company Limited (30%).

Capacity and Energy Production

The Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farm has a nameplate capacity of 402 MW, generated by 67 Siemens SWT 6.0 MW wind turbines. Each turbine has a rotor diameter of 154 meters, a hub height of 110 meters, and the highest point of the rotor is 187 meters. The wind farm is capable of producing approximately 1.73 Terawatt hours (TWh) or 1.7 TWh of clean energy annually, which is enough to power more than 410,000 to 430,000 UK homes.

Environmental Impact

The wind farm displaces around 893,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, significantly contributing to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Construction and Timeline

• The project was initially developed by Warwick Energy Limited, with the UK Government granting the licence during the Round 2 allocation in 2003.
• Statoil (now Equinor) and Statkraft acquired the project in 2012 and reduced the capacity from 560 MW to 402 MW after a review.
• The final investment decision was made on July 1, 2014.
• Construction began in the third quarter of 2014 with onshore substation site preparation. Onshore cable construction works started in March 2015.
• The installation of monopile foundations began in 2016, and the first turbine was installed in January 2017.
• The wind farm delivered its first electricity to the UK National Grid in February 2017 and was fully commissioned in October 2017. The official opening was on November 22, 2017.

Infrastructure

• The wind farm consists of 67 wind turbines installed on monopile foundations with diameters between 7 meters and 7.4 meters, weighing between 800 tonnes and 1,200 tonnes.
• The power generated is collected by an offshore substation and exported to the shore via a 38km-long, 132kV subsea cable to Weybourne Hope on the North Norfolk coast.
• From there, a 48km-long underground cable transfers the electricity to the Necton substation, which then feeds the power into the National Grid using a 400kV overhead line.

Contractors and Service Providers

• Siemens was contracted for the engineering, procurement, assembly, and commissioning of the 67 wind turbines and also for the grid connection.
• Smulders produced the transition pieces, while Kent undertook the design of the monopiles and transition pieces.
• Seaway Heavy Lifting installed the monopile foundations and offshore substation.
• Esvagt was awarded a five-year contract for service and maintenance, operating the Service Operation Vessel (SOV) Esvagt Njord.
• Other contractors included Sif Group, Atkins, RG Carter, A2SEA, ABB, Visser and Smit Marine Contracting (VSMC), and JDR.

Operations and Maintenance

The operations and maintenance base for the wind farm is situated at Great Yarmouth. The Esvagt Njord service vessel, equipped with workshops, storage facilities, and accommodation for up to 40 technicians, is used for maintenance and service operations. This setup was a first in the UK offshore wind industry.

Economic and Social Impact

The development of the wind farm involved an investment of around £1.25 billion to £1.5 billion. The project has created approximately 70 jobs during its operations. Additionally, the Dudgeon Community Fund supports local projects, including STEM education initiatives in Norfolk.

Future Developments

Development consent has been granted for the Dudgeon Extension Project, which is an extension to the operational Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farm. This project, along with the Sheringham Shoal Extension, aims to further increase the renewable energy capacity off the North Norfolk coast.