The Hornsea wind farm is a phased offshore wind farm project east of the UK coast in the North Sea. Ørsted conducts its planning, development, and operations. The first phase is already commissioned, and three more steps are lined up to power the national grid.
Hornsea will not only be the largest contributor to wind energy in the UK and also be the largest offshore wind farm in the world when finished.
Where is the Hornsea farm?
It is located in the southern north sea near the east coast of the United Kingdom, to the northeast of Norwich. The Hornsea zone has a maximum capacity of 6 GW, expanded from the original 4 GW in 2009. The nearest point of the project to shore is 89 km.
Who owns and develops Hornsea Wind Farm?
Ørsted planned, developed, and constructed the wind farm. Ørsted will also operate the project after commissioning.
However, Ørsted did not initially own Hornsea. They didn’t win the project; Siemens and Mainstream Renewable Power did.
Like the other wind farm projects in the North Sea, the Crown Estate commission awarded the project. It was way back in 2009 when Crown Estate awarded SMart Wind Ltd., a consortium of Mainstream Renewable Power and Siemens Project Ventures, the project.
Initially, Ørsted became a partner in the project in 2011. Then in 2015, the project was entirely sold to Ørsted by SMart Wind, and the development began.
Why did SMart Wind sell the Hornsea project to Ørsted?
We can only assume that the driving force is the 2025 and 2040 goals of Ørsted. The company aims for net-zero emissions by 2025 and a zero carbon footprint by 2040.
It is a lofty goal, but note that the company’s renewable portfolio is diversified. Ørsted develops, constructs, and operates all kinds of technologies in the industry. Their portfolio includes offshore and onshore wind, green fuels facilities, energy storage facilities, renewable hydrogen, solar farms, and bioenergy plants. The company has been the most sustainable renewable energy company according to Corporate Knights Global 100 Index since 2019.
Their development projects are in line to meet the company’s 2025 net-zero emissions target, as validated by CDP Climate change criteria. The Hornsea project boosts their portfolio by a considerable margin, as the wind farm is projected to be one of the largest in the world after finishing all four phases.
Their goal is to invest 50 GW capacity of renewables in 2030, worth $57bn by 2027, 80% of which may be in the offshore wind market alone.
Following its science-based targets initiative, the goal is not far away. The trend in the chart shows why. It is the only energy company to initiate this target by 2025, which may soon see other energy companies following the same industrial strategy.
The Ørsted vision to become the most sustainable energy company shows its goal to rely entirely on green energy with zero carbon footprint by 2040, a plan that may become a benchmark for other sustainable corporations.
Is Hornsea Wind Farm a Joint Venture?
Yes, Hornsea One is a 50:50 joint venture of Ørsted and Global Infrastructure Partners after Orsted sold a 50% stake.
Ørsted also brings partners for Hornsea’s second phase. In March 2022, Ørsted received £3 billion from AXA IM Alts and Crédit Agricole Assurances for a 50% stake in the project.
When is the first power of the Hornsea project?
Hornsea delivered its first power in 2020. Given the incredible COVID-19 situation at the time, the project team pulled through and executed the project timeline.
Hornsea Two wind farm followed last December 2021 and seeks entire operations in 2022. On the other hand, Hornsea Three is still in the construction phase.
Is it a fixed or floating foundation?
The projects use fixed foundations for their turbines at a depth of only 20 to 40 meters.
Is Hornsea Wind Farm the largest offshore wind farm?
Yes, at the moment. Innovations continue in the sector, allowing more significant projects to be designed and planned, so the record may not keep for long. Hornsea One holds the record at 1.2 GW.
The four offshore wind farms will exceed 4 GW of installed capacity when all the phases are finished. Hornsea Two and Three will each exceed the previous phases of the wind farm, at 1.3 and 2.4 installed capacity, respectively.
Many planned projects are vying to be the world’s largest offshore wind farms in different countries, such as Korea’s 8 GW project by 2030 and the Dutch’s 4 GW IJmuiden Ver (IJVER) by 2023.
How much total energy will the Hornsea zone produce?
The Crown Estate approved the Hornsea zone for up to 6 GW of renewable wind energy capacity. So far, Hornsea One has the largest installed capacity offshore by adding 1.2 GW.
As a testament to its scale and capacity, the project has set the record by having the longest offshore wind AC export cables system and longest onshore cables route. The onshore cable route spans 900 km, the longest of its kind.
Ørsted also installed a Reactive Compensation Station (RCS) for the first phase, the first to be installed offshore. It is between the offshore substation, the national grid onshore, and the UK’s east coast.
Hornsea Two is installing an additional 1.3 GW on the Hornsea zone. The project’s cabling supplier, NKT, finalized the offshore power cable system in April 2022. The project continues with the largest AC offshore substation.
The third phase will add 2.4 GW installed capacity, bringing the pipeline to 4.9 GW. A fourth phase will complete the Hornsea offshore zone project.
How many phases are in the project?
There are 4 phases to the Hornsea wind project. The first is operational, the second will operate in 2022, and the third and fourth are in the pipeline.
| Hornsea Phase | Online Year | Turbines | Total Power |
|---|---|---|---|
| One | 2019 | 174 | 1,218 MW |
| Two | 2022 | 165 | 1,386 MW |
| Three | 2025 | 231 | 2,310 MW |
| Four | 2027 | 100 (est) | 1,000 MW (est) |
| Total | n/a | 670 (est) | 5,914 MW (est) |
The first phase, the Hornsea One, comes with many innovative records. It is the world’s biggest offshore wind farm with a 1.2 GW installed capacity.
It is also the farthest from land amongst onshore wind farms at 120 km from the UK coastline but soon overtaken by Doggerbank A wind farm in 2023. Hornsea One covers an area of 407 sq. km.
The second, Hornsea two, began construction in 2018 and aims to provide the lowest cost of the contract price for offshore wind in the UK. Another record for the company, Hornsea Two, will be the largest offshore wind when operational in 2022. Ørsted will install the remaining and final turbines in the same year. It is 89 km off the Yorkshire coast.
With a gigantic 2 GW installed capacity, Hornsea Three will dwarf the first two projects and power around 3 million UK homes. The project is expected to begin construction in 2022. Meanwhile, Hornsea Three had a development consent order in December 2020. The UK awarded Hornsea Three to Ørsted in July 2022 and it will be the single largest offshore wind farm.
The Hornsea Four wind farm project is 69 kilometers off the Yorkshire coast. It is in the pipeline and is still in the planning and pre-application stage.
How many MW per phase?
Hornsea one has an installed capacity of 1.2 GW. It is currently the largest offshore wind farm. Hornsea Two will add 1.3 GW of installed capacity. It will become the largest offshore wind farm when it entirely operates in 2022. Hornsea Three is set for 2.4 GW, a giant leap in power. The last phase is the pre-application stage.
What turbine model is used in the project?
Siemens is the preferred supplier for the first three Hornsea projects. Hornsea One used 7 MW Siemens Gamesa wind turbines, while the second phase used Siemens 8 MW wind. No updates yet for the preferred supplier for Hornsea Three and Four.
How many turbines?
570 turbines are working and in the pipeline for the Hornsea zone.
- 174 wind turbines for Hornsea One.
- 165 wind turbines for Hornsea Two.
- 231 wind turbines for Hornsea Three.
- Hornsea Four is in the pre-planning stage, so we do not know the number of turbines yet.
How many MW per turbine?
Hornsea One uses 7 MW turbines, and Hornsea Two will use 8 MW wind turbines from Siemens Gamesa.
How much did Hornsea wind farm cost?
The first phase was a €3.36bn investment and is expected to have a 25-year working lifespan. Hornsea Two is valued at £6 billion (50% stake sold for £3 billion in March 2022).
Are Larger Offshore Wind Farms the future of renewables?
It’s up in the wind–until we have more data. Yet, offshore wind farms are getting bigger with every project. But does size cap efficiency at a certain level, and how does it impact cost? Wind Energy Technologies Office conducted a 2021 analysis to study the question and make recommendations.
After looking at three research models, the US agency under the Office of Energy and Renewable Energy found that more giant turbines can reduce overall project costs. A 23% potential cost reduction was associated with less maintenance and installation cost, even though the input of more money upfront is needed for longer cables and more extensive foundations.
Suppose energy companies invest in the supply chain for more giant turbines. In that case, the benefits may also help local economies. On top of the 23% cost reduction with bigger turbines, larger turbines are also spaced further apart, preventing losses from turbine-generated turbulence. Of course, the model generated the data from hypothetical 20 MW turbines.