Ministers have given Dogger Bank A another year on its temporary transmission licence exemption, pushing the end date to 18 December 2026. Signed by Energy Minister Michael Shanks on 14 November and laid before Parliament on 19 November, the order comes into force on 18 December 2025.

In plain terms, the exemption lets Doggerbank Offshore Wind Farm Project 1 Projco Limited legally transmit electricity from Dogger Bank A without holding a transmission licence while its grid link is sold to an Offshore Transmission Owner (OFTO). As with earlier orders, it falls away sooner if the transmission assets are transferred before that date.

The extra year follows a difficult construction spell. Two separate blade failures slowed progress last year, and the project team confirmed completion of Dogger Bank A is now expected in the second half of 2025 after extra checks and remedial work.

On the OFTO side, Ofgem named the EKITD consortium-Equitix and Japan’s Kyuden group-as preferred bidder for Dogger Bank A back in March 2024. The handover only completes once financing and operational arrangements are in place, which is what this extension is designed to bridge.

Why this matters locally is straightforward. Power from Dogger Bank A and B comes ashore north of Ulrome in East Riding and runs around 30km underground to converter stations near Cottingham before entering the grid at Creyke Beck. That’s real infrastructure work across fields and lanes many readers know well.

“This is a milestone moment and I am delighted to be here to officially open this facility,” said South Tyneside’s then Mayor, Councillor Pat Hay, when the Port of Tyne operations and maintenance base was launched-a reminder that hundreds of long‑term roles now anchor the project in the North East.

Teesside’s been busy too. Able Seaton Port has handled turbine staging, with Thornaby-based Mammoet taking on heavy lifts and transport-work that has supported additional local roles through the build.

Developers say the wind farm has already supported over 2,000 UK jobs, with more than 400 long‑term roles based at the Port of Tyne. An independent report cited by SSE suggests Dogger Bank could add £6.1bn to the UK economy over its lifetime-figures that matter for suppliers from Hull to Hartlepool.

Looking ahead, Ofgem’s tender round for Dogger Bank C starts to the south of this project, while today’s order simply keeps Dogger Bank A compliant during commissioning and the OFTO sale. Government notes these exemptions are temporary and end early on asset transfer, but they have become common as projects scale.