Hitachi ABB Power Grids accelerates UK green energy transition with a new contract for the world’s largest offshore wind farm

Pioneering HVDC Light® technology will enable Dogger Bank Wind Farm to support UK’s clean electricity demand, powering six million UK homes.

Hitachi ABB Power Grids has today announced that it has won another major order from Dogger Bank Wind Farm to connect the third transmission link from the world’s largest offshore wind farm over 130 km to the UK mainland.

The Dogger Bank Wind Farm in the North Sea will have a combined installed generation capacity of 3.6 GW, enough to power six million UK homes.* This new award extends the ongoing delivery of Dogger Bank A and B to include C1. This contract is subject to financial close of the third phase of Dogger Bank Wind Farm, which is currently forecast for late 2021.

Dogger Bank Wind Farm has been developed as a joint venture between SSE Renewables and Equinor (50:50). Eni will take a 20% stake in the first two phases, subject to regulatory and lender approvals of Eni’s agreement to enter the joint venture which are due in early 2021.2

By providing its market-leading, compact high-voltage direct-current technology, HVDC Light^®, Hitachi ABB Power Grids continues to shape the offshore power landscape, enabling the efficient transmission and dynamic integration of distant offshore wind power to the onshore grid. The Dogger Bank Wind Farm will significantly contribute towards the UK government’s goals of sourcing up to 40 GW of offshore wind capacity and cutting emissions by 68% by 2030.

HVDC Light^® technology is a key enabler for remote wind farms off the coast of the UK. Now, the latest HVDC Light system provides the most compact design and the lowest energy losses in the power industry. According to an independent life cycle assessment, the implementation of this pioneering technology will reduce the lifetime CO2 impact by almost two-thirds, compared to previously commissioned installations, supporting the green energy transition and the strong global focus on carbon-neutral energy systems.

“Together, with customers and partners, we are playing a key role in accelerating the energy transition,” said Niklas Persson, Managing Director of Hitachi ABB Power Grids’ Grid Integration business. “HVDC technology contributes significantly towards a carbon-neutral energy future by enabling the integration of large-scale and remote renewable energy generation,” he added. “Being selected once again underlines our customers’ trust in our world-leading expertise and delivery capabilities.”

“Confirmation of our collaboration with Hitachi ABB Power Grids on all three phases of Dogger Bank Wind Farm is another important milestone for our world-leading development,” said Steve Wilson, Project Director at Dogger Bank Wind Farm. “Working together in an integrated way will enable us to achieve optimum efficiency during the design, procurement and construction work, while the use of market-leading HVDC technology will ensure efficient and reliable transmission of renewable energy for six million UK households once all of the wind farm phases become operational.”

“This is an important milestone for Dogger Bank Wind Farm,” said Halfdan Brustad, Vice President for Dogger Bank at Equinor. “Using HVDC technology is a competitive solution for offshore wind at a long distance from shore, and this will be the first offshore HVDC solution in the UK, opening up new markets and opportunities. The appointment of Hitachi ABB Power Grids demonstrates cross industry collaboration, bringing best expertise into a successful Dogger Bank delivery.”

Enabling the energy transition with HVDC technology

HVDC technology has been recognized as a key technology for enabling the clean energy transition, contributing to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 7: increasing access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.

Hitachi ABB Power Grids pioneered commercial HVDC technology more than 65 years ago. HVDC Light^®, invented by Hitachi ABB Power Grids based on Voltage Sourced Converter (VSC) technology, is a highly dynamic and efficient alternative to alternating current for transmitting large amounts of electricity with higher efficiency, over longer distances, and with lower electrical losses.

HVDC Light^® contributes to the secure and stable transmission of power across networks that operate on different voltages and frequencies. This makes the technology suitable for the integration of renewable energy, such as offshore wind farms and interconnecting and strengthening AC networks. This advanced technology also has black-start capability, which enables fast grid restoration in the event of a power outage.

Hitachi ABB Power Grids has delivered more than half of the world’s HVDC projects. These include North Sea offshore wind grid connection projects such as DolWin 1 and 2, and the world’s first offshore wind farm, BorWin1. In addition, Hitachi ABB Power Grids is playing a central role in connecting the SSEN Transmission-owned Shetland link to its Caithness-Moray HVDC system for integration to the UK mainland transmission network.

*According to Dogger Bank Wind Farm.

1. When fully completed in 2026, each phase of Dogger Bank Wind Farm will be able to produce 6 TWh of renewable electricity, totaling 18 TWh annually – enough to supply 5% of the UK’s demand and equivalent to powering six million UK homes each year.

2. Eni is a global energy company that is changing direction to become a leader in the production and sale of decarbonized products.

About Hitachi Energy

Hitachi Energy is a global technology leader that is advancing a sustainable energy future for all. We serve customers in the utility, industry and infrastructure sectors with innovative solutions and services across the value chain. Together with customers and partners, we pioneer technologies and enable the digital transformation required to accelerate the energy transition towards a carbon-neutral future. We are advancing the world’s energy system to become more sustainable, flexible and secure whilst balancing social, environmental and economic value. Hitachi Energy has a proven track record and unparalleled installed base in more than 140 countries. Headquartered in Switzerland, we employ around 38,000 people in 90 countries and generate business volumes of approximately $10 billion USD.

About Dogger Bank Wind Farm

Dogger Bank Wind Farm will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm when completed in 2026.
It is being built in three phases: Dogger Bank A, B and C.
Dogger Bank A and B is a joint venture between SSE Renewables (40%), Equinor (40%) and Eni (20%) subject to regulatory and lender approvals of Eni’s agreement to enter the joint venture which are due in early 2021.
Dogger Bank C is a 50:50 joint venture between SSE Renewables and Equinor.
SSE Renewables is lead operator for the development and construction of Dogger Bank Wind Farm. Equinor will be lead operator of the wind farm for the duration of the wind farm’s operational phase.
Financial close on Dogger Bank A and B was reached in November 2020. Financial close for Dogger Bank C is currently forecast for late 2021.