World’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm Produces its First Power

Dec 24, 2021 by Kashish Bhardwaj in Energy

The Hornsea 2 offshore wind farm is now partially functional and expected to become fully operational by next year

The world’s largest offshore wind farm has begun operations. As per an announcement made by Danish energy firm Orsted, the Hornsea 2 offshore wind farm has produced its first power. The project is expected to be completely operational by the next year and would provide power for more than 1.3 million homes in the UK.

The scale of the Hornsea 2 is quite significant as it is situated in around 89 kilometers off the U.K.’s east coast, covering an area of 462 km sq. As a subordinate to the Hornsea 1 project, Hornsea 2 was approved in 2016. Last year, the project became operational as the largest offshore wind farm in the world, with 174 turbines and a 1.2-GW capacity that is responsible of powering more than a million in the UK.

World's Largest Offshore wind Farm Produces its First Power

Image: Orsted

After the successful completion of the project, Hornsea 2 will return wind power back to shore through more than 800 km of cabling, joining to the national grid at the village of Killingholme. Along with Hornsea 1, the farms are anticipated to provide sufficient power for more than 2.3 million homes. Last year, Hornsea 3 received a Development Consent Order under which it will power more than two million homes, and so far Hornsea 4 is in its progressive state.

Patrick Harnett, senior program director for Hornsea 2, said;

From here, we have the finishing line in sight as we install the remaining turbines and continue testing, commissioning, and energizing our wind farm into the New Year.

Combined, these projects will make a huge contribution to the UK government’s target of achieving a net-zero economy by 2050. Renewable energy is need of the hour and it is going to be one of the major weapons we can use against human-created climate change.