Setbacks trigger domino delays for Dogger Bank

Blade failures, repair work and commissioning setbacks have pushed back a key contractual deadline for what is planned to be the world’s biggest offshore wind farm.

Dogger Bank A, 130km off the coast of England, has been given an eight-month extension to the first 300MW tranche of turbines to allow more time for installation and commissioning.

“The project has seen cascading impacts from the initial technical issues, and additional unforeseen knock-on impacts while acting to rectify the causes of the initial delay,” says the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).

The Low Carbon Contracts Company (LCCC), which administers the UK’s Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme, has moved the tranche’s deadline from 30 November 2026 to 31 July 2027 in an extension that demonstrates the cumulative impact of turbine failures and subsequent technical difficulties, which have disrupted construction, delayed commissioning and created knock-on problems for the project’s electricity transmission infrastructure.

Blade failures trigger delays

Problems first became public in May 2024, when a blade was damaged on an installed turbine. SSE Renewables, which leads construction on behalf of the project’s developers, confirmed it was working with turbine manufacturer GE Vernova to investigate the cause.

A second publicly documented blade failure occurred at Dogger Bank A in August 2024. No one was injured. The incidents prompted further investigation and remedial work, with the full extent of the subsequent blade problems not detailed in public statements.

The resulting disruption put pressure on the construction schedule: turbine installation and commissioning were delayed as the project addressed the initial failures and worked to prevent further problems.

Dominoes start falling

The delays continued into 2025, when additional technical difficulties and installation stoppages eroded the time available to recover lost ground.

Safety-related stoppages and other unforeseen difficulties disrupted planned installation work, undermining efforts to make up time lost following the blade failures.

The consequences extended beyond turbine construction. Dogger Bank A’s high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) transmission system must undergo compliance testing before its transmission assets can be transferred, and these earlier delays prevented testing at the required power levels, creating further pressure on the programme.

In August 2025, Dogger Bank Offshore Wind Farm Project 1 sought a 364-day extension to its transmission licence exemption. The government then extended the exemption to 18 December 2026, allowing more time for installation, commissioning, testing and asset transfer.

DESNZ said the technical difficulties had significantly affected the project’s ability to transfer its transmission assets to the preferred bidder, concluding that the additional time was reasonable and proportionate.

“Together, these created unforeseen construction delays during the summer, when DBA had planned significant turbine construction to rectify the previous delays caused by the turbine blade failures,” said DESNZ. “DBA lost a significant number of days over the summer due to a combination of these issues.

“These lost days had a direct impact on the testing of the transmission assets, and DBA have not yet been able to test the transmission assets at a high enough power level to undertake grid code compliance.”

Dogger Bank A is being developed by SSE Renewables, Equinor and Vårgrønn, with respective ownership stakes of 40%, 40% and 20%. GE Vernova supplies the project’s Haliade-X turbines and has been involved in investigating the blade failures and carrying out remedial work.

Priorities are to complete the remedial work, commission the remaining turbines and demonstrate that the transmission system meets the required standards.

After repeated setbacks, the revised July 2027 deadline gives the first 300MW tranche more breathing room, but the project still has a long way to go.