Playing a key role in facilitating offshore wind

The base at the port’s 200-acre Clean Energy Park will be operational from early 2024, as the business assists with the installation of the 100 turbine foundations for the 1.4GW wind farm located on Dogger Bank in the North Sea, 195 kilometres off the coast of the UK.

“The Tyne Clean Energy Park continues to be the closest major offshore wind development platform for developers operating in the North Sea, as we look to accelerate the country’s green energy revolution to triple the rate of wind turbine installation to hit the national 2030 target, creating jobs for the future and a skilled workforce for generations to come,” commented Matt Beeton, chief executive at the Port of Tyne.

The Clean Energy Park has recently benefited from a £20 million infrastructure upgrade and is already acting as operations and maintenance base for Equinor to service its combined projects, Creyke Beck A, Creyke Beck B and Teesside A, which will collectively create the largest offshore wind farm in the world.

Sofia Offshore Wind Farm is under construction and is expected to be fully operational in 2026. Once completed it will generate enough green energy to power the equivalent of approximately 1.2 million UK homes.

Van Oord’s activities encompass the engineering, procurement, construction and installation of the wind turbine foundations and inter-array cables for Sofia.

The deal will also see the River Tyne welcome the tallest offshore vessel in the port’s history. Van Oord’s Aeolus is expected to arrive in January 2024, beginning an estimated 34 trips between the UK and Germany.