Equinor, SSE study fourth Dogger Bank phase of 1.32 GW

SSE Renewables, part of UK utility SSE Plc (LON:SSE), and Norway’s Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) are investigating the prospect of adding a 1.32-GW fourth phase to the 3.6-GW Dogger Bank offshore wind farm project in the UK, which could power the grid or produce hydrogen.

Dogger Bank, the world’s largest offshore wind farm, is being built in three phases of equal size, A, B and C, located more than 130 km (81 miles) off the Yorkshire coast.

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The proposed Dogger Bank D would be situated in the eastern zone of the Dogger Bank C lease area. The developers are considering two options for the additional capacity - to send energy to the grid or to generate green hydrogen at a dedicated electrolysis plant in the Humber region, which could become the UK’s largest green hydrogen project. The first option would make use of new network infrastructure in Lincolnshire that is being installed by National Grid in response to the UK’s target of 50 GW of offshore wind by 2030.

Equinor and SSE Renewables are conducting early scoping work on the expansion and plan to release an initial scoping report in late March. Dogger Bank D is a 50/50 partnership between the two companies. The three-phase Dogger Bank project is a joint venture between SSE Renewables, Equinor and Vargronn, a joint venture of Eni holding a 20% stake.

The partners specified that the Dogger Bank D project would need a new development consent order and remains subject to agreement with The Crown Estate, the seabed landlord.

The hydrogen option would benefit from planned hydrogen development in the Humber, a major industrial hub. Equinor and SSE Thermal are partnering on low-carbon projects in the region and are also members of the Zero Carbon Humber initiative.