Forewind consortium wins wind contract for Dogger Bank
Posted: 8 January 2010
The Crown Estate reported that the Forewind consortium — comprising Statoil, Statkraft, SSE and RWE npower — was the successful bidder for the largest zone in the third licence round (Round 3) for UK offshore wind farms, Dogger Bank.
The Dogger Bank zone is located off the east coast of Yorkshire between 125 and 195 kilometres offshore.
It extends over approximately 8,660 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 licence holder, Forewind will now begin to carry out the extensive surveys, assessments and planning required for the consent process.
The Dogger Bank zone is large and a possible development has to be carried out stepwise with several projects.
The consortium's commitment is to secure all the necessary consents for the construction and development of Dogger Bank, up to the point of investment decisions, which is anticipated from 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 total UK electricity requirements.
The consortium combines international offshore project delivery and renewables generation experience with UK utility and wind power expertise.
"The partners in the consortium are very satisfied with the announcement of Forewind as the successful bidder for Dogger Bank," said Frank-Are Steinbakk, Forewind general manager .
"This is an exciting project that is important for all the partners’ ambitions within offshore wind. 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."
"Offshore wind is a strategic pillar for Statoil’s new energy business. Our goal is to mature the projects in the Dogger Bank zone up to investment decision, hopefully making profitable and technical feasible projects for the companies.
"Dogger Bank is a challenging zone where our competence from the offshore oil and gas business will be of significant value," says Margareth Øvrum, executive vice president of Technology & New Energy in Statoil.
Both Statoil and Statkraft are involved in the development of the 315MW Sheringham Shoal offshore wind farm in UK.
Posted by Richard Price, Editor, EnergyME.com
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