LOCAL SUPPLY CHAIN BENEFITS FROM O&M BASE CONSTRUCTION
Construction of the Operations and Maintenance (O&M) base for Dogger Bank Wind Farm in the Port of Tyne has positively impacted the region’s economy with over £7.5 million re-invested throughout North-East England.
The O&M base was designed by international design practice, Ryder Architecture, headquartered in Newcastle upon Tyne. The construction was managed by Equinor, who contracted global real estate advisor CBRE as the local Project Manager, and Bowmer + Kirkland (B+K) as the Principal Contractor for the facility, managing the work from their local offices in Sunderland.
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Dogger Bank O&M Base during construction
In line with the project objectives to focus on using UK suppliers throughout the base design and build, Bowmer + Kirkland, actively engaged local supply chain partners and throughout the duration of the scheme, a key focus was placed on procuring goods and services locally.
Over £4.4million was spent within the South Tyneside Local Authority area with supply chain partners, including South Tyneside based Castle Building Services Limited and Thompsons of Prudhoe Limited benefitting from the project. Numerous other sub-contractors from across the region including Newcastle based Chemplas Limited and Durham based Wyn Construction Limited were also engaged on the project’s further £3.1million local spend.
Liz Wilson, B+K Project Manager for the Dogger Bank O&M base construction, said:
“Each project that B+K deliver provides an opportunity for us to significantly benefit the communities in which we operate. As a contractor with offices located in the North-East, we are committed to supporting regional growth by providing opportunities for local supply chain partners to engage with projects such as the Dogger Bank operations and maintenance base.”
The project, located at the Port of Tyne, provided opportunities for a number of local companies including those classified as micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), which account for 89% of the supply chain. Packages equating to 95% of the construction cost were awarded to MSME’s.
Mark Halliday, Dogger Bank Operations Director, said:
“We are extremely proud to be working with so many local businesses for the construction of our operations and maintenance base. We will continue to bring more North-East expertise into the project as we move into the O&M phase in order for the local community to benefit from this world leading project.”
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The O&M Base has been constructed and operated in line with the UK Green Building Council's (UKGBC) Net Zero Carbon Buildings Framework
The project previously announced that the base will be constructed and operated in line with the UK Green Building Council’s (UKGBC) Net Zero Carbon Buildings Framework.
The 3407m2 base will use low carbon materials and meet the highest energy efficiency classifications. Solar PV panels are installed for onsite renewable generation, and EV charging points are available so staff and visitors who travel to site in low emissions vehicles, further reducing the wider impact from the project.