Dogger Bank Wind Farm: Landowners in Yorkshire to get £500 for 'non intrusive' surveys on farmland

One of the “big six” energy companies, Perth-headquartered SSE Renewables and Norwegian energy giant Equinor are working on a fourth phase of the massive Dogger Bank Wind Farm.

Known as Dogger Bank D, it will have a generating capacity of 1.8GW of electricity.

Currently there are two options for the energy produced by the windfarm, which will be around 120 miles offshore – either connecting to the National Grid in Lincolnshire, or creating a “dedicated electrolysis facility” in the Humber region.

Green hydrogen uses electricity from renewable sources to separate water into its component parts of oxygen and hydrogen in a process called electrolysis.

The government says it is aiming for up to 10GW of low carbon hydrogen production capacity by 2030, with at least half from electrolytic hydrogen.

Letters have been sent to 400 landowners telling them “non intrusive” ecological surveys are due to be carried out “in the near future”.

They remind them they have no power to opt out. The letters state: “Please be advised that statutory powers are available to the project and should a licence not be agreed, the project may reluctantly need to rely on such powers.”

Speaking in February, Dogger Bank Wind Farm Project Director, Oliver Cass, said: “We’re in the early stages of looking at the technical feasibility of the grid and also hydrogen options for a potential fourth phase of Dogger Bank Wind Farm, and we’re looking forward to working with local, national and regional stakeholders over the coming months as we progress the project."

He said the vast wind farm project had already “created and supported thousands of UK jobs”.