Dogger Bank Wind Farm, which will become the world’s largest offshore wind farm once fully operational, will boost the UK economy by £6.1bn during its lifetime and support thousands of UK jobs over the next three decades.

The prediction, from consultants BVG Associates, finds the contribution will be driven by significant investment in UK companies, jobs and skills during the lifecycle of the wind farm.

The economic impact report was commissioned by Dogger Bank Wind Farm’s equity partners SSE, Equinor and Vårgrønn who are currently constructing the offshore wind farm in three 1.2GW phases at adjoining sites in the North Sea more than 130km from the Yorkshire Coast.

Direct spend with companies in the North-East of England and in the counties of North Yorkshire and East Riding of Yorkshire is expected to total over £3bn, with hundreds of jobs supported in these regions. To date this has included jobs in companies such as Jones Bros, Bowmer and Kirkland, Boston Energy and Tekmar.

At 3.6GW, Dogger Bank will become the world’s largest offshore wind farm when fully operational. Already, the project is beginning to generate homegrown renewable energy from initial commissioning at its first phase, which is being transmitted along subsea high voltage transmission cables.

Dogger Bank Wind Farm project director, Olly Cass, said: “BVGA’s report also gives us a chance to reflect on important lessons learned, so we can use Dogger Bank as the springboard for future economic growth in the UK in our development of critical energy infrastructure.”

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