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Economic Development

World's largest offshore wind farm Hornsea Two is now fully operational

Orsted's latest addition to Grimsby cluster is fully commissioned and handed over to East Coast team

Wind of Hope, Hornsea Two's service operation vessel, pictured in the offshore wind farm.(Image: Orsted)

The new holder of the world’s largest offshore wind farm title - Orsted’s Hornsea Two - has been declared fully operational.

The 1.3GW project, featuring 165 wind turbines, is run from Grimsby, where 400 direct jobs have been created across the farms. Valued at £6 billion and located almost 90km off the East Yorkshire coast, it has the capacity to power more than 1.4 million homes.

It takes the record from ‘little’ sister Hornsea One, the 1.2GW farm that sits alongside it, within a 2,000 sq km area of North Sea set to welcome two more projects in the coming years, bringing further jobs.

Read more: North Sea gas platform could become nesting site to aid offshore wind development

First power was generated in December as the installation continued from Green Port Hull, where towers, blades and nacelles - the engine room atop the turbine - were brought together on the quayside. Construction had begun in October 2020, with the bright yellow transition pieces emerging, with the Siemens Gamesa turbines, and the Hull-built blades following in the spring.

Patrick Harnett, vice president for º£½ÇÊÓÆµ programme, said: “This project has been an amazing endeavour. To build the world’s largest offshore wind farm during a global pandemic has been a challenge that the team have overcome with flying colours. I am so proud of how our team has worked together to safely deliver this remarkable project. A huge thank you to all those involved in making it happen.”

More than 8,000 people have been involved in the incredible feat of engineering at sea. Hornsea Two has also played a key role in the ongoing development of a larger and sustainably competitive º£½ÇÊÓÆµ supply chain to support the next phase of the º£½ÇÊÓÆµ’s offshore wind success story. In the past five years alone, Orsted has placed major contracts with nearly 200 º£½ÇÊÓÆµ suppliers with £4.5 billion invested to date and a further £8.6 billion expected to be invested over the next decade.

Hornsea Three, at 2.8GW, is set to follow having been fully consented, with Hornsea Four going through the process. A £3 billion deal for a 50 per cent stake in Hornsea Two was agreed with French financial giants AXA IM Alts and Crédit Agricole Assurances in March, and is anticipated to close later this year.