Member Article

Civil engineering work ramps up at Dogger Bank Wind Farm after winter pause

The pace of work at the world’s largest offshore wind farm has been increased, with extra teams brought onto site in preparation for the start of high voltage cable installation following a scheduled winter pause.

Jones Bros Civil Engineering UK is currently working on the grid connection and land-based infrastructure for the first two phases of the Dogger Bank Wind Farm, which is to be built more than 130km off the Yorkshire coast in the North Sea.

Dogger Bank Wind Farm is currently being developed in three 1.2GW phases: Dogger Bank A, B and C.

Dogger Bank A and B is a joint venture between SSE Renewables (40 per cent), Equinor (40 per cent) and Eni (20 per cent), while Dogger Bank C is a 50:50 joint venture between SSE Renewables and Equinor.

Jones Bros has increased the number of people on site up to a total of 70, with an additional trenching team of 14 plus six ground work and general construction apprentices. There are also four trainee engineers on site.

The North Wales-headquartered company has also started preparatory work on other parts of the site, with construction of the first joint bays, where the undersea connection transitions onto land, set to take place in the coming weeks.

In total, approximately 80 miles of electrical cabling will be used along a 20 mile route to make the land-based connection for the scheme, located more than 130km off the Yorkshire coast in the North Sea, to the national grid.

The first cable delivery is planned for early summer.

James Lockwood, Jones Bros project manager, said: “It’s really pleasing to be able to ramp up the pace now we’ve brought the second trenching team onto the site.

“Horizontal directional drilling has also resumed on the parts of the site where trench digging isn’t possible because of obstacles like roads or watercourses along with pre-construction land drainage, and construction of the of the remaining internal site access tracks

“Over winter, the focus has been on maintenance and creating site access roads. We had a scheduled break due to the prevailing conditions, but all eyes are now on moving the project forward with further installation of electrical ducts, construction of the joint bays, and preparing for the delivery of the high voltage cables in June.”

Onshore project manager for Dogger Bank Wind Farm, Oliver Flattery, said: “Despite the challenges thrown up by the global pandemic, the project remains on track and I’m pleased to say we’ve been able to achieve our first major milestones safely, and on time.

“The safety of our communities and those working on our sites remains of paramount importance to us as we pick up pace in 2021 and start installing the cables that will provide renewable energy for UK households.”

Established in the 1950s, Jones Bros’ leadership team consists of members of the second and third generations of the founding family. It employs more than 500 people.

The company is currently working on contracts in various sectors including highways, flood and marine defence, waste management and renewable energy around the UK.

The company runs an award-winning apprenticeship scheme, which has produced more than 40 per cent of its current workforce, with many of its senior managers having started out as apprentices or in a trainee role. It has recruited more than 100 apprentices during the past three years.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sam Harris .