The world's first unmanned high voltage direct current (HVDC) offshore substation has been installed at Dogger Bank, the site of what will be the world's largest offshore wind farm off the UK coast.

The substation, supplied by Aibel, is the first of three to be installed at Dogger Bank and measures 65 x 36 metres across and 39 metres high. The offshore platform is designed to receive 1.2 GW of AC power from Dogger Bank A's 95 offshore wind turbines and convert it to DC, which will then be sent ashore to an onshore converter station near Beverley in East Riding of Yorkshire. Fitted with Hitachi Energy's latest generation HVDC converter technology, Dogger Bank will be the first offshore wind project in the UK to use this technology to transmit the electricity produced back to shore, ensuring that the electricity is transmitted efficiently over long distances while minimising losses.

The platform will be controlled from shore and accessed only by a service operations vessel, removing the need for personnel to stay on the platform and resulting in a 70% reduction in weight (per megawatt) of the topside compared to previous platforms installed, and cost savings of hundreds of millions of pounds. Dogger Bank Wind Farm, a joint venture between SSE Renewables, Equinor, and Vårgrønn, is set to be the world's largest offshore wind farm, consisting of 277 wind turbines, and will be capable of generating enough electricity to power more than 6 million UK homes. The Dogger Bank B substation is set to be delivered in Q2 of 2024, and the Dogger Bank C offshore platform is expected to be delivered in Q2 2025.

Source: doggerbank.com