Ørsted’s Hornsea 2 becomes world’s largest operational wind farm

The 1320MW Hornsea Project Two Hornsea Project Two (1320MW) Offshoreoff Yorkshire, UK, Europe Click to see full details project has overtaken 1218MW Hornsea Project One Hornsea Project One (1218MW) Offshoreoff Yorkshire, UK, Europe Click to see full details as the world’s biggest offshore wind farm – but it is set to lose that record next year to Vattenfall’s 1500MW Hollandse Kust Zuid Hollandse Kust Zuid (1500MW) OffshoreNetherlands, Europe Click to see full details in the Dutch North Sea.

Hornsea Project Two has been delivering power for Ørsted over the last quarter and taking advantage of high power prices. 

Its long-term revenue will be underpinned and capped by a contract for difference (CfD). Speaking at a results presentation earlier this year, CEO Mads Nipper said Ørsted has some flexibility over the start date of the CfD and plans to activate the contract next year. 

The project features 165 of Siemens Gamesa’s SG 8.0-167 DD turbines. 

Most turbine blades were fabricated at Siemens Gamesa’s factory in Hull, Yorkshire. Ørsted highlighted Hornsea Project Two’s role in developing a UK offshore wind supply chain, saying it placed major contracts with nearly 200 UK suppliers.

Construction started in 2017 and was affected by the coronavirus pandemic – notably shipyard closures in Taiwan, which delayed delivery of the offshore substation. 

Patrick Harnett, vice president of Ørsted’s UK programme said: “To build the world’s largest offshore wind farm during a global pandemic has been a challenge that the team has overcome with flying colours.”

The project’s predecessor, Hornsea Project One, has 174 of Siemens Gamesa’s SWT 7.0-154 wind turbines in a 407km² site 120km from land. 

The next project, 2852MW Hornsea Project Three Hornsea Project Three (2852MW) Offshoreoff Yorkshire , UK, Europe Click to see full details, could allow Ørsted to retake the position of operating the world’s largest wind farm. Sited 120km off the Norfolk coast and 160km off the Yorkshire coast, it is expected to have up to 231 turbines in an area of 696 km². It was granted permitting approval in December 2020 and a CfD earlier this year.