Pipe jacking begins on Sofia and Dogger Bank C wind farm cable routes

J Murphy and Sons’ energy business unit, working with HB Tunnelling, has begun work on the tunnels that will house onshore cabling for the Sofia and Dogger Bank C offshore wind projects.

The tunnelling works form part of the installation of a 7km high-voltage direct current (HVDC) onshore cable route in Teesside.

The Sofia and Dogger Bank C projects are both located on Dogger Bank, more than 195km from the north east coast of England. Dogger Bank C forms the third phase of the Dogger Bank wind farm.

The export cables for the two wind projects will come to shore in Teesside, between Redcar and Marske-by-the-Sea. They will share their onshore cable corridors, and their cable ducts are being installed at the same time.

Engineering and construction firm J Murphy and Sons won the design and delivery contract for the onshore cabling in February of last year.

It has commenced work on the four 12m to 17m deep tunnels that pass under a railway bridge, as well as eight shafts.

The 1,200mm pipe-jacked micro tunnels, with drive lengths between 107m and 150m, are being installed with the help of Murphy’s specialist supply chain partner HB Tunnelling.

The tunnelling works are due to be completed by June 2023, while the full civil works will run through until the end of 2024.

Once completed, the cable routes will connect the two offshore wind projects to their new onshore converter stations situated within Wilton International.

Sofia is 100% owned by RWE, and Dogger Bank wind farm is a joint venture between SSE Renewables, Equinor and Vårgrønn.

Although they are owned by different companies, the developers are working jointly at the site of their adjacent converter stations and along the shared onshore cable route.

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