Dogger Bank D offshore wind farm is being developed by Equinor and SSE in a 50/50 JV. It is still in its pre-construction phase. A seabed lease for the project with The Crown Estate was also finalized in August 2025. This allows Dogger Bank D to use part of the eastern part of the Dogger Bank C leased area. Sitting on 262 km2 of proposed area, the farm will have 113 fixed-bottom turbines, and up to two offshore substation platforms.
As part of current plans, Dogger Bank D will connect to Birkhill Wood. This is a proposed 400 kV substation to be located in the East Riding of Yorkshire. It will be built as part of National Grid’s Great Grid Upgrade.
The farm also still needs a formal Development Consent Order (DCO) and the developers’ Final Investment Decision (FID).
The proposed fourth phase of the largest offshore wind farm in the world was also inclusive of a green hydrogen facility in its plans back in 2023. The plan was however dropped in March 2024 after late 2023 feasibility studies proved it not-viable.
Exploring the Dogger Bank D’s Green Hydrogen Phase
Plans to produce green hydrogen at a dedicated onshore facility were explored parallel to an electrical transmission opportunity at the Dogger Bank D.
Since the plan’s announcement in February 2023, there was consultation further into the year, closely accompanied by feasibility studies. Genesis, Fichtner, and H2GO Power also conducted engineering studies for the hydrogen option.
The green hydrogen plan was however retired in March 2024 for the UK’s electricity grid connection route. Among the reasons for this was because the developers now had a confirmed grid-connection location in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
Other Dogger Bank Wind Farm Phases
The first three phases (A&B, C, and Sophia) at Dogger Bank Wind Farm, a sandbank located 130 kilometers off the Yorkshire coast, total to a capacity of 3.6 GW.
The farm’s first turbine went into service in October 2023. This marked the first use of a 13-megawatt wind turbine supplied by GE Vernova. Full commissioning of the first three phases won’t be complete until 2026-2027. This is due to delays brought about by weather, supply chain issues, and availability of ships to support the massive construction project, among others.
What the Future Holds for Dogger Bank D Wind Farm
The Dogger Bank D is still in its planning phase. Construction on-site has not yet started. However, installations and constructions for the project will start as soon as permits are approved. The August seabed lease marks a good milestone in the project. SSE and Equinor’s 50/50 JV will also create about 400 jobs at the Port of Tyne when construction starts.
