A wind farm on an unprecedented scale has turned the switch on: Danish energy company Orsted has announced that Hornsea 2 has produced its first electricity. The wind farm is expected to be fully operational next year and will become the world’s largest offshore wind farm, providing power to more than 1.3 million homes in the United Kingdom.
The Hornsea 2 project was approved back in 2016 as an addition to Hornsea 1. The plant began commercial operation last year and so far the title of the world’s largest wind farm remains with it. It has 174 turbines and 1.2 GW of capacity, supplying power to more than 1 million British homes.
Hornsea 2 will have a total capacity of 1.32 GW, supplied by 165 8-megawatt Siemens Gamesa wind turbines, and is located 89 km off the east coast of Britain. The offshore substation and reactive power compensation station were installed in October of this year, allowing operator Orsted to launch the first phase of the park.
When completed, Hornsea 2 will ferry “clean” power ashore through more than 800 km of cables connected to the national grid in the village of Killingholm. Together with its brother Hornsea 1, these wind farms are expected to power more than 2.3 million homes. Also in development is Hornsea 3, which received development approval last year and will power more than 2 million homes, and then Hornsea 4, currently in the planning stages.
Reaching the first capacity is a major milestone for the project and a moment of pride for the entire team. Creating a project of this size and scope is only possible with close collaboration, hard work, and dedication. From here, we see the finish line as we install the remaining turbines and continue testing, commissioning and delivering power from our wind farm next year.
Although these wind farms are record-breakingly large, the world of offshore wind energy is rapidly evolving, and the title of “world’s largest” has changed hands several times over the past decade. The 630 MW London Array was commissioned in 2013, moving Greater Gabbard into second place with 500 MW, and Walney with 659 MW took the lead in 2018.