Wedoany.com Report-Sept. 4, DEME’s cable-laying vessel (CLV) Viking Neptun is set to begin the installation of the first inter-array cables at the Dogger Bank C offshore wind farm site in the UK on or around September 7. According to a recent Notice to Mariners, the vessel will lay the cables onto the seabed, where they will remain exposed until trenching operations are carried out in September and October.

The Viking Neptun will be supported by the walk-to-work (W2W) vessel Norside Cetus, which will assist in deploying cable pull-in teams. The cable installation is part of a broader contract awarded to DEME Offshore in 2021. The company secured the engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) contract for inter-array cables at Dogger Bank C, following earlier awards for Dogger Bank A and B.

For this third phase of the Dogger Bank Wind Farm, DEME is responsible for supplying and installing approximately 250 kilometers of 66 kV inter-array cables and associated accessories. The cables are provided by Hellenic Cables, a Greece-based subsea cable manufacturer, under an agreement signed in 2022.

Progress on the overall project has been steady. The inter-array cables for Dogger Bank A, the first 1.2 GW phase, were completed in 2023. Work on Dogger Bank B is still in progress, with post-lay burial, testing, and termination underway. For Dogger Bank C, construction began earlier this year with the installation of the first monopiles by Seaway7’s vessel Seaway Strashnov. In May, the offshore substation for this phase was put in place by Heerema Marine Contractors’ semi-submersible crane vessel Sleipnir.

Dogger Bank C will feature 87 Haliade-X 14 MW turbines manufactured by GE Vernova. In comparison, the first two 1.2 GW phases of the project, Dogger Bank A and B, are being fitted with Haliade-X 13 MW turbines. This phased development highlights the progression of turbine technology and capacity within the project.

The Dogger Bank Wind Farm is jointly owned by SSE Renewables (40%), Equinor (40%), and Vårgrønn (20%). With a total installed capacity of 3.6 GW across three phases, it is currently the largest offshore wind project under construction worldwide. Plans for an additional Dogger Bank D phase are also under consideration, which could expand the total project capacity to 5.6 GW.

As one of the most significant renewable energy developments in Europe, Dogger Bank Wind Farm is expected to make a major contribution to the UK’s clean energy targets. The project combines large-scale offshore construction, advanced turbine technology, and extensive subsea infrastructure to deliver reliable renewable power to millions of homes.

By moving into the cable installation stage at Dogger Bank C, the project marks another step toward full commissioning, further solidifying its role as a flagship offshore wind development on the global stage.