Dong Energy has unveiled plans to construct the UK’s largest offshore wind operations and maintenance hub in Grimsby.

The facility, which is still subject to planning approval, will be developed in the town’s Royal Dock.

It will support initially the 210MW Westermost Rough, 580MW Race Bank and 1.2GW Hornsea Project One offshore wind farms.

The hub will also have enough capacity to support other east coast wind farms that the company will develop in the future.

The hub will be served by high-tech vessels that can accommodate up to 60 crew and technicians while remaining at sea for long periods.

It will be supported by a marine coordination centre which can provide 24/7 service to offshore operations across the UK and beyond.

The hub will be placed alongside the existing Westermost Rough operation and maintenance facility, on additional land to be leased from Associated British Ports.

It will act as a warehouse where components needed to maintain wind turbines can be stored. Other needed components can be amassed from suppliers or manufacturers on a ‘just-in-time’ basis to be loaded onto the vehicles.

The service operational vessels (SOVs) are supplied by Ostensjo Rederi and designed by Rolls-Royce will be chartered to operate from the new hub.

The first SOV is scheduled to arrive in late 2017 and it will support the operation and maintenance of Dong Energy’s Race Bank wind farm, which is presently under construction 17 miles off the Norfolk and Lincolnshire coastlines.

DONG Energy UK Country Chairman Brent Cheshire said: “This new operational hub in Grimsby will be a game changing industry first, raising the bar for the way we serve offshore wind farms.

“It will generate direct and indirect job opportunities in the Humber region, as well as opportunities for the local supply chain.

“It represents a massive vote of confidence to the UK offshore wind industry and confirms our commitment to the Humber region where by 2019 we expect to have invested around £6bn.”


Image: Dong Energy to develop new  hub for O&M support for offshore wind farms. Photo: Courtesy of DONG Energy A/S.