- ECG safeguards the continuity of offshore wind operations for stable clean power generation to six million UK homes –
In what is believed to be a global industry-first, Proserv’s advanced Electro Cable Guard (ECG™) will de-risk offshore wind operations at the third phase of Dogger Bank Wind Farm by identifying signs of transmission cable failure far earlier, allowing proactive measures to be carried out to avoid costly outages.
Under a contract with DEME, the subsea controls technology specialist will deploy its proprietary game-changing technology at the third phase of what will become the world’s largest wind farm once operational, enhancing asset reliability through earlier failure detection and prevention.
Using unique passive electrical sensors to monitor inter-array cables and terminations, ECG delivers early fault detection that traditional systems overlook, transforming maintenance strategies and strengthening resilience in offshore operations. It works by permanently and synchronously monitoring the combined effect of electrical and mechanical stresses on power cables and terminations to identify failure precursors far earlier, providing real-time insights into transmission system health. Without needing additional power or telecoms infrastructure, it is efficient, easy to deploy, and ideal for offshore cable systems, including both cables and terminations.
Building on the momentum of the global control technology specialist’s growing renewables portfolio, Proserv’s ECG is currently being deployed at Dogger Bank A and B, as well as Hywind Scotland and Hywind Tampen, with additional projects in the pipeline. This next-generation cable monitoring methodology will now be rolled out at Dogger Bank C, a further large-scale project for Proserv’s propriety technology, continuing ECG’s adoption by the offshore wind sector.
Proserv’s Vice President of Renewables, Paul Cook, said: “We are incredibly proud to secure this contract, positioning Proserv as the cable monitoring provider for DEME Offshore across the three phases of the Dogger Bank project, the world’s largest offshore wind farm currently under construction.
“As more offshore wind developments come online, unplanned cable and termination failures are an increasing concern. This latest evolution of our breakthrough ECG system offers substantial cost savings benefits to developers and operators, addressing the widespread issue of cable failures, which account for approximately 80% of wind farm-related insurance claims. Unlike conventional methods, our solution embeds passive optical electrical sensors directly within terminations, eliminating the need for additional power and telecoms infrastructure at each termination point. This enhances efficiency, streamlines data collection, and provides real-time alerts to prevent downtime, reducing repair costs by up to 80% when interventions are planned proactively.”
Located 130km off the Yorkshire coast, the Dogger Bank Wind Farm is being built in three phases with 277 turbines in total (95 at both A and B, and 87 at C), each standing 260m tall – twice the height of the London Eye. Set for completion in 2027, it will become the world’s largest offshore wind farm, powering six million UK homes with clean energy annually.
Dogger Bank Wind Farm Senior Project Manager, Alan Evans, said: “Availability of assets is critical to the efficient supply of renewable electricity into our decarbonised energy system. We’ve been working with DEME and Proserv to pioneer the use of ECG monitoring technology on the first phases of our project, and we look forward to building on this relationship with Dogger Bank C.”
Proserv’s ECG is completely wind farm agnostic with its adaptability spanning new and existing fixed-bottom and floating wind projects. It addresses up to 90% of common cable system failure modes, particularly at cable terminations, a leading cause of where faults arise. Developed in collaboration with Synaptec, a specialist in power system monitoring in which Proserv is a shareholder, the technology combines the firm’s expertise with Proserv’s engineering and integration expertise honed in oil and gas, delivering enhanced reliability for renewable energy infrastructure projects.
Synaptec’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Philip Orr, said: “We’re excited to work with Proserv to lead the way in derisking offshore power generation. The future of clean energy depends on reliably transporting renewable power to the grid, and that means taking action to maximise the resilience of offshore power assets. This project will be a significant milestone in the development of the offshore wind sector, and we are proud to play our part in making it as successful and productive as possible.”
The Dogger Bank C contract will be project managed, engineered and delivered by Proserv’s Great Yarmouth based team, in addition to the work being carried out at the wind farm’s A and B phases.
Issued on behalf of Proserv by BIG Partnership. For more information, contact Pam.Wilson@BIGPartnership.co.uk or call +44(0) 7772 287 588.
About Proserv
For over 60 years Proserv have provided cutting-edge technologies to our global customers supporting the entire lifecycle of asset, improving reliability, optimising performance and extending the life of critical infrastructure.
We provide energy technology solutions for our customers across the energy sector. Specialising in Controls, Monitoring, Intelligence and Optimisation, Proserv are solutions focused. By combining our technical ingenuity with our engineering, manufacturing and field service expertise, we create innovative, industry-leading solutions that are flexible and agnostic by design, able to be integrated into any existing system. Our technology ethos prioritises regeneration, upgrade and augmentation before replacement, widening functionality and capability, while minimising expense, saving time and reducing environmental impacts. Proserv leads the industry in overall performance and value, leading across attributes but most noted for technical support, equipment quality and aftermarket services.
About Dogger Bank:
- The 3.6 GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm when completed. The anticipated completion date is early 2027.
- It is being built in three 1.2 GW phases: Dogger Bank A, B and C.
- The project is a joint venture between SSE Renewables (40%), Equinor (40%) and Vårgrønn.
- SSE Renewables is lead operator for the development and construction of Dogger Bank Wind Farm. Equinor will be lead operator of the wind farm on completion for its expected operational life of around 35 years. Vårgrønn provides specialist offshore wind expertise to the project.
- Financial Close on Dogger Bank A and Dogger Bank B was reached in November 2020, with Financial Close for Dogger Bank C reached in December 2021. Taken in aggregate, reaching Financial Close on all three phases of Dogger Bank Wind Farm is the largest offshore wind project financing to date globally.
- Consent for Dogger Bank Wind Farm was granted in 2015.
- Dogger Bank Wind Farm is located in the North Sea, with each phase more than 130km from the Yorkshire Coast.
- First power was achieved in October 2023.
- Dogger Bank Wind Farm is fully committed to supporting the UK offshore wind supply chain. To date we estimate more than 2,000 UK roles have been created or supported in relation to the construction and operation of the wind farm.
- 470 jobs are expected to be recruited by GE Renewable Energy across the North East of England in support of the delivery and operation of all three phases of the project. These will be made up of around 300 skilled roles for turbine installation and commissioning activities and 170 servicing roles at Port of Tyne under GE’s five-year Service and Warranty Agreements for Dogger Bank phases A, B and C once operational.
- At least a further 30 roles will be hired by Equinor as operator of the wind farm, based at the Port of Tyne or offshore.
- 170 new full-time UK-based jobs will be created by North Star Renewables in crewing and shore-based roles for the operation of the service fleet for Dogger Bank Wind Farm.
- One rotation of the Haliade-X turbine blades on Dogger Bank can power one UK home for more than two days.
- The wind turbines are being installed on monopile foundations.
- Dogger Bank is the first High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) connected wind farm in the UK due to its distance from shore, introducing new transmission systems to the UK and paving the way for other large offshore wind farms.
- For more information about Dogger Bank Wind Farm visit www.doggerbank.com
