Offshore Construction Start

Offshore construction for the Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farm effectively commenced on 22 March 2016, marked by the installation of the first monopile turbine foundation. The project’s own Summer 2016 newsletter explains that offshore construction started in March 2016, specifically noting that the first monopile foundation installation took place on 22 March. This step represented the transition from earlier onshore works and preparatory activities into full offshore build-out on the Dudgeon bank, approximately 20 miles off the coast of Cromer in North Norfolk. The offshore works were supported from the Dudgeon operations and maintenance base in Great Yarmouth, which had become operational the same month to support the construction campaign. The monopile was installed and fixed to the seabed by the heavy lift crane vessel Oleg Strashnov, which was tasked with bringing foundations from Vlissingen in the Netherlands to the Dudgeon site and installing them offshore. This marked the beginning of the wider marine installation phase for the 402 MW wind farm, which will ultimately consist of 67 Siemens 6 MW wind turbine generators and an offshore substation. From this starting point, offshore construction activity accelerated, with foundations being installed at an average of three per week and additional infrastructure such as the offshore substation jacket and subsea cables following as the programme progressed according to plan.