The 1,200 MW Dogger Bank A offshore wind farm, located off the east coast of England, will not begin commercial operations until the second half of 2025, according to a statement by SSE Renewables, Equinor, and Vargronn.
The delay follows an assessment conducted by the project team and GE Vernova, in response to three recent blade failures affecting GE's Haliade-X turbines. Two failures occurred at Dogger Bank A, while a third was reported at the Vineyard Wind project off Massachusetts, USA.
SSE explained that the delay is due to the additional quality assurance procedures and remedial work implemented by GE Vernova after the blade failure at Vineyard Wind. Despite the setback, SSE noted that the financial impact of the delay would not significantly affect project equity returns, which remain above the company's offshore wind hurdle rate.
The project has experienced previous delays. Last autumn, turbine installation was postponed due to supply chain constraints, including delays in nacelle manufacturing.
A total of 95 turbines had initially been expected to be installed by the second quarter of 2024, but vessel availability and other logistical challenges prompted SSE to inform investors in April that full operations would likely be delayed until 2025.
