OHT's Alfa Lift Vessel to Install Dogger Bank A Wind Farm Foundations

July 31, 2020

The construction of OHT’s Alfa Lift is progressing well at China Merchant Heavy Industries fabrication yard in Jiangsu Province, China./ Image source: OHT

Norway's Offshore Heavy Transports has won a contract to transport and install foundations for the first phase of Equinor's and SSE's Dogger Bank Wind Farm, Dogger Bank A, in the UK, using its foundation installation vessel Alfa Lift being built in China.

To remind, OHT was in November 2019 selected as the preferred supplier for foundation installation at the Dogger Bank offshore wind farm, and it has now secured the firm contract for the Dogger Bank A.

"The contract for the second phase, Dogger Bank B, is expected to follow in due course," OHT said Friday.

The Dogger Bank A project will be the monopile installation debut for OHT’s specialist new build vessel Alfa Lift which is currently under construction at CMHI’S shipyard in China.

The Alfa Lift will transport the monopile foundations and transition pieces to the offshore site, more than 130km off the north-east coast of England, and install them in water depths up to 35 meters, utilizing the vessel’s 3,000-tonne crane, mission equipment and smart deck handling system.

Steve Wilson, Dogger Bank’s Project Director, said: “It’s great news to confirm the OHT Alfa Lift vessel for Dogger Bank A. Their vessel is one of the most innovative heavy transportation and installation vessels on the market and we are very pleased to have them working with us as we deliver this ground-breaking project.”Alfa Lift Artist's Impression - Credit: OHT

“We look forward to working with Norway’s OHT to make Dogger Bank a success. The Alfa Lift is an excellent example of the new, efficient, and innovative vessels which we need to revolutionize the offshore wind industry and make it even more competitive,” Halfdan Brustad, vice president for Dogger Bank in Equinor, said.

The foundations will be amongst the largest ever used for offshore wind and are expected to be installed at Dogger Bank A between 2022 and 2023.

"The contract is a significant milestone for OHT and we welcome the opportunity to demonstrate Alfa Lift’s market-leading capabilities in delivering this landmark project. We are privileged to be working with like-minded, forward-thinking colleagues at SSE Renewables and Equinor’ said Torgeir E. Ramstad, CEO, OHT.

The Dogger Bank Wind Farm is being developed by SSE Renewables and Equinor, with first power expected in 2023. The contract is subject to the project’s final investment decision.
The Dogger Bank project is located in the North Sea, approximately 130km from the Yorkshire Coast, with water depth at the site ranging from 20m to 35m.

Each project will have an installed capacity of 1.2GW and will be able to power 1.5 million homes. Together, the projects can cover approximately 5% of the UK’s estimated electricity generation. The first project is expected to be operational in 2023.

Equinor and SSE continue to progress towards final investment decisions for all three projects, aiming for Q4 2020 for Doggerbank A and B and late 2021 for Dogger Bank C.

Worth reminding, the Alfa Lift contract announcement comes just a day after OHT announced the decision to expand its offshore wind offering, and enter the offshore wind turbine installation market. OHT said Thursday it had entered into a binding Heads of Agreement with China Merchants Heavy Industry (CMHI) in Jiangsu, China for the construction of two wind turbine generator (WTG) installation vessels.