Construction of the Operations and Maintenance (O&M) base for Dogger Bank Wind Farm in the Port of Tyne has positively impacted the region’s economy with over £7.5 million re-invested throughout North-East England.
In line with the project objectives, Bowmer + Kirkland, principal contractor for the O&M base construction, are actively engaging local supply chain partners and throughout the duration of the scheme, a key focus has been placed on procuring goods and services locally.
To date, over £4.4million has been spent within the South Tyneside Local Authority area with supply chain partners, including South Tyneside based Castle Building Services Limited benefitting from the project.
Numerous other sub-contractors from across the region including Newcastle based Chemplas Limited and Durham based Wyn Construction Limited have also been engaged on the project’s further £3.1million local spend.
Liz Wilson, B+K Project Manager for the Dogger Bank O&M base construction, said:
Each project that B+K deliver provides an opportunity for us to significantly benefit the communities in which we operate. As a contractor with offices located in the North-East, we are committed to supporting regional growth by providing opportunities for local supply chain partners to engage with projects such as the Dogger Bank operations and maintenance base.”
The project, which is located at the Port of Tyne, has provided opportunities for a number of local companies including those classified as micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), which account for 89% of the supply chain. Packages equating to 95% of the construction cost to date, have been awarded to MSME’s.
Mark Halliday, Dogger Bank Operations Director, said:
We are extremely proud to be working with so many local businesses for the construction of our operations and maintenance base. We will continue to bring more North-East expertise into the project as we move into the O&M phase in order for the local community to benefit from this world leading project.
The project commenced in September 2021 and as the project progresses, and further work packages are made available, B+K will continue to engage with supply chain partners who are based in close proximity to the project with the aim of increasing the high level of regional investment already generated by the project. The project previously announced that the base will be constructed and operated in line with the UK Green Building Council’s (UKGBC) Net Zero Carbon Buildings Framework.
Dogger Bank Wind Farm is located more than 130km off the North-East coast of England and is being delivered by joint venture partners SSE Renewables, Equinor and Eni. SSE Renewables is leading on construction and delivery while Equinor will operate the wind farm on completion. 370 jobs have so far been created associated with the long-term operations of the wind farm from the Port of Tyne. In total, over 3,000 jobs have now been created or supported through the project.
Dogger Bank will be world’s largest offshore wind farm upon completion in 2026. Due to its size and scale, Dogger Bank is being built in three consecutive 1.2GW phases; Dogger Bank A, Dogger Bank B and Dogger Bank C. In total the wind farm is expected to generate enough renewable electricity to supply 5% of the UK’s demand, equivalent to powering six million homes.
