Hellenic Cables Dogger Bank Contracts Strengthen Offshore Wind
Hellenic Cables (visit Hellenic Cables) reports two major offshore wind contracts linked to Dogger Bank A, B and C, the world’s largest offshore wind farm in the North Sea, 125–290 km off the east coast of Yorkshire. The company also secured a substantial array cable award for the nearby Sofia Offshore Wind Farm.
Dogger Bank Wind Farm Ltd. develops Dogger Bank A, B and C, while Sofia Offshore Wind Farm Ltd. develops the separate Sofia Offshore Wind Farm on the adjacent site.
Dogger Bank: Hellenic Cables Becomes Sole Array Cable Supplier
DEME Offshore, the renewables business unit of DEME Group, awarded Hellenic Cables the Dogger Bank C array cable contract. Already selected as the array cable supplier for Dogger Bank A and B, Hellenic Cables now serves as the sole inter‑array cable supplier for the entire Dogger Bank project.
Under the new contract, Hellenic Cables will supply about 240 km of 66 kV XLPE‑insulated inter‑array cables and related accessories for Dogger Bank C. This volume adds to the previously awarded 650 km of array cables for phases A and B, confirming the scale of Hellenic Cables’ role.
66 kV Cable Production at Corinth Plant
Hellenic Cables will manufacture all Dogger Bank inter‑array cables at its Corinth plant in Greece. The company plans to start production for Dogger Bank C in 2023, with deliveries rolling out in phases to match the project execution schedule.
“We’re proud to be the exclusive array cables supplier for the world’s largest offshore wind farm, which provides the U.K.’s largest single source of renewable energy,” said Alexis Alexiou, CEO of Cenergy Holdings and Hellenic Cables.
Sofia Offshore Wind Farm Contract for RWE and Van Oord
The second major award involves the 1.4 GW Sofia Offshore Wind Farm, developed by RWE (visit RWE). RWE appointed Van Oord Offshore Wind UK (visit Van Oord) to provide engineering and installation services, and Van Oord selected Hellenic Cables as the inter‑array cable supplier.
For Sofia, Hellenic Cables will supply approximately 360 km of 66 kV inter‑array cables and accessories. The Corinth plant will also produce these cables, with manufacturing scheduled to begin in 2022 and conclude in 2023. Van Oord will install the cables using its cable‑laying vessel Nexus.
Sofia Offshore Wind Farm Location and Van Oord Strategy
The Sofia offshore wind farm site lies about 195 km off the U.K.’s North East coast, covering an area of 593 sq km. This distance from shore reduces visual impact while harnessing strong offshore wind resources at scale.
“Building on the expertise and know‑how demonstrated in previous projects, such as the Hollandse Kust (South) project, our goal is to successfully implement this project as well. Together with our investment in the next‑generation custom‑built green cable‑laying vessel Calypso, this highlights Van Oord’s drive to continuously reinforce its market position,” said Arnoud Kuis, managing director at Van Oord Offshore Wind.
Why Dogger Bank Is Ideal for Fixed‑Foundation Offshore Wind
The Dogger Bank area offers a particularly attractive location for offshore wind farms. It sits far enough from shore to avoid visual complaints about turbines, yet it remains shallow enough to support traditional fixed‑foundation wind turbine designs.
Fixed‑foundation turbines are generally economical up to water depths of 40–50 meters. Beyond that, developers must use floating wind turbine designs, which cost significantly more to build and install. All four wind farms in the broader Dogger Bank area—Dogger Bank A, B, C and Sofia—have delivery timelines between 2023 and 2025.
