World’s largest wind farm launched off Yorkshire coast
Ørsted has launched the world’s biggest fully-operation wind farm, 89km off the Yorkshire coast.
The launch of the 1.3 GW Hornsea 2 project has seen Ørsted break its previous record, which the Danish firm previously set by launching its 1.2 GW Hornsea 1 windfarm in 2019.
Ørsted’s UK chief Duncan Clark said the Hornsea 2 project will help “increase the security and resilience” of the UK’s energy supply and “drive down costs for consumers by reducing our dependence on expensive fossil fuels”.
The Hornsea 2 project is set to produce enough energy to power 1.4m homes, in supplying electricity to the UK via 390km of subsea cables that come onshore at Horseshoe Point near Grimsby.
Ørsted noted that each revolution of the turbine’s blades produces enough electricity to power an average UK home for 24 hours.
The launch of the windfarm sits in line with UK government plans to bring online 50 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030.
Ørsted is now planning to break records again by building a third, 2.8 GW windfarm in the 2,000 square meter Hornsea Area, called Hornsea 3, after winning a UK government contract for the project earlier this year.
Hornsea 2 is the 13th offshore windfarm Ørsted has launched in UK waters. The firm is currently building a further 2 GW and has plans to build another 11 GW, including the Hornsea 3 project.
“The UK is truly a world leader in offshore wind and the completion of Hornsea 2 is a tremendous milestone for the offshore wind industry, not just in the UK but globally,” Clark said.
“Current global events highlight more than ever the importance of landmark renewable energy projects like Hornsea 2,” Clark added.
Patrick Harnett, Vice President UK Programme, Ørsted, said: “To build the world’s largest offshore windfarm during a global pandemic has been a challenge that the team have overcome with flying colours.”