Ørsted has confirmed that all 174 wind turbines have been installed at the world’s largest offshore windfarm, Hornsea 1
Ørsted programme director for Hornsea 1 Duncan Clark said, “The milestone of this last turbine being installed only nine months after the first one was erected is just one small part of this record-breaking project. Hornsea 1 has truly paved the way for the next generation of offshore windfarms.
“At the time of taking on the project, its scale and the technical pioneering required seemed a Herculean challenge, but a truly extraordinary effort from all those involved have managed to make this impressive feat of engineering the new norm.
“We have benefited from fantastic working relationships with contractors and suppliers, and that includes vessel providers who have maintained a constant stream of communication to ensure that turbine installation has been concluded on time and within budget.”
Component loadout took place at Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy’s factory in Hull, where the majority of blades were constructed, and the components were then transported 120 km out to sea.
The wind turbines were transported by two vessels, Bold Tern, owned by Fred Olsen Windcarrier, and DEME Group’s Sea Challenger.
Now that the final turbine is installed, the project will undergo commissioning, and will be officially inaugurated in 2020 as the world’s largest project of its type.
Once complete, the site will be the world’s first offshore windfarm able to generate more than 1 GW of electricity.
Offshore construction started in January 2018, when the first monopile foundation was installed by GeoSea’s installation vessel, Innovation.
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