New ownership arrangements for the four consented Dogger Bank offshore wind projects have been agreed and signed by the three Forewind shareholders.
Offshore wind consortium Forewind has agreed and signed new ownership arrangements of the four consented Dogger Bank offshore wind projects. The consortium, made up of Innogy, SSE and Statoil, gained consent gained consent for four individual 1.2GW projects at Dogger Bank in the North Sea in 2015.
The shareholders have decided that SSE and Statoil together will each own 50% of the three projects: Dogger Bank Creyke Beck A, Dogger Bank Creyke Beck B and Dogger Bank Teesside A. The remaining project, Dogger Bank Teesside B will be owned 100% by Innogy.
The Forewind consortium will no longer be involved with the Dogger Bank projects, however it will oversee the decommissioning of the two met masts and removal of the suction-installed mono bucket foundations later in 2017. Forewind’s general manager, Trevor Baker, said that the consortium successfully delivered on its objective to achieve the consents and now that the projects have been allocated, the respective owners will determine how the four projects, each a significant development in its own right, will be taken forward. Each of the 1.2GW projects are twice the size of world’s largest currently existing offshore wind farm.
Innogy’s director of offshore wind, Paul Cowling, said: “We will now develop the Dogger Bank Teesside B offshore wind project in line with our current pipeline, as we seek to deliver on our renewable energy growth ambitions, actively shaping the energy world of the future”.
SSE’s director of development, Mike Seaton said: “Offshore wind is a major part of SSE’s transition towards a low carbon portfolio and has the potential to deliver significant industrial benefits for the UK economy. As a leading UK developer of offshore wind SSE is looking forward to taking the next steps to progress the Dogger Bank projects.”
Statoil’s executive vice president for new energy solutions, Irene Rummelhoff, added: “Dogger Bank represents a unique opportunity for the UK to develop secure, sustainable and cost-competitive energy from its world-class wind resource. The asset constitutes a very important element in Statoil’s strategy to gradually complement our oil and gas portfolio with profitable renewable energy solutions.”
Related content:
Offshore contractors raise concerns over new immigration rules
Offshore wind could contribute £2.9bn to UK economy by 2030
Cost of offshore wind falls 32% in five years
Feature: On track for offshore wind targets
The New Power Interview: Matthew Knight, director of strategy and government affairs, GB & Ireland, Siemens: “The story of offshore wind has been one of diminishing expectations.”
Subscribe to New Power for full analysis, comment, interviews and data in our monthly report, and access to our database, and sign up to our FREE e-newsletter for website updates