Top 12 Biggest Offshore Wind Farms in The World

Offshore wind farms are gaining popularity worldwide as nations and businesses seek green energy solutions to battle climate change and become energy efficient in the long run.

Offshore wind farms offer many advantages over their land counterparts, such as producing more electricity per installed capacity since wind speed is higher in water bodies than on land. They also have a less environmental impact and can be constructed easily.

Many offshore wind farms have wind turbines fixed on the seafloor in shallow waters. Floating wind turbines for use in deep waters are also being developed, along with other offshore technologies, such as bigger and more efficient turbines, sturdier foundations, and advanced transmission systems, which reduce costs and increase energy production.

Europe is a leader in the offshore wind energy sector, with the UK, Denmark, and Germany leading the way with the biggest offshore wind farm projects in the world. However, China, the U.S., and Taiwan are also investing heavily in the sector.

Read this article to know about the 12 Biggest Offshore Wind Farms in the world, ranked according to their installed capacity.

1. Dogger Bank Wind Farm

When completed in 2026, Dogger Bank will be the largest offshore wind farm in the world. It is situated over 130 km off the northeastern coast of England in the North Sea and is a joint venture between SSE Renewables, Equinor, and Vargronn.

It is being developed in three phases, namely Dogger Bank A, B and C, which will have 95, 95 and 87 wind turbines, respectively.

Every phase will have a generation capacity of 1.2GW, and the three phases will have a combined generation capacity of 3.6GW, enough to power six million homes in the U.K.

The first turbine at Dogger Bank A has begun electricity production, which is transmitted to Britain’s national grid using HVDC technology, marking its first use on a UK wind farm.

The wind farm has been installed with Haliade-X 13 MW turbines, which are said to be the most powerful. Each rotation of the turbine generates enough electricity to power a home for two days.

The biggest jack-up installation vessel in the world, Jan de Nuul’s Voltaire, is being used to lift the wind turbines.

SSE Renewables is overseeing the development of the project, while Equinor will operate it upon completion during its 35-year operational life.

2. Greater Changhua offshore wind farm

This project involves four wind farms, Changhua 1, Changhua 2A, Changhua 2B, and Changhua 4, located 35 to 60 km off Changua County in Taiwan. Their combined power generation capacity is 2.4GW.

Changhua 1 and 2a were commissioned on April 25, 2024, and the other two will be commissioned in 2026.

According to Orsted, Changhua 1 and 2a are entirely operational and connected to the grid, making them the largest offshore wind projects in Taiwan and the Asia-Pacific.

After fully operational, all four wind farms will be able to power around 2.8 million houses in Taiwan.

3. Hornsea 2 Offshore Wind Farm

Hornsea 2, located 89 km from the Yorkshire coast in the North Sea, is the largest operational offshore wind farm in the world. It is operated by Orsted in the United Kingdom.

It entered operations in August 2022 and is Orsted’s 12th wind farm project in the U.K.

It produces enough electricity to power more than 1.4 million homes and covers 462 square km or 178 square miles.

It has a total capacity of 1.32GW and 165 Siemens Gamesa 8MW wind turbines. One rotation of the wind turbine generates electricity to power a house for a full day. Each blade of the turbine is 81 metres long, and its tip is over 200 m above sea level.

Around 380 kilometres of export cables were required for this wind farm.

4. Hornsea 1

This was the first offshore wind farm in the world, exceeding 1 GW in capacity.

It held the title of the world’s biggest offshore wind farm until its sister farm, Horn Sea 2, became operational in 2022.

Hornsea 1 lies in the North Sea and produces green electricity to power more than a million UK homes. It has a total capacity of 1.2 GW and covers 407 km2 or 157.2 square miles.

Orsted and Jupiter Offshore Wind Limited own Hornsea 1, each with a 50% stake. It entered operations in 2019 and is maintained from Orsted’s East Coast Hub, Grimsby, with a workforce of over 370.

The wind farm has 174 turbines of 7 MW, each being 190 m tall with 75 m long blades. One turbine can power a home for more than 24 hours with a single rotation.

Construction began in 2018 with the installation of the first monopile foundation. The project involved around 8,000 people, including contractors, suppliers, and employees.

5. Borssele Offshore Wind Farm

The Borssele wind farms were built to generate more renewable energy. When the weather is clear, they are visible from Westkapelle. The electricity produced is transmitted through cables to Borssele and then goes to the national grid.

Also called the Borssele Wind Farm Zone, this consists of five wind farm sites and three farms having a total capacity of 1502.5 MW. They are situated 24 km offshore in the Dutch portion of the North Sea.

Borssele I and II, constructed by Orsted, have 94 wind turbines capable of generating 752 MW. Construction started in 2020, and the first electricity was produced in 2020.

Borssele III & IV have 77 wind turbines that produce 731 MW. It was constructed by Blauwwind II.

Lastly, Borssele V was constructed by Two Towers and has 2 wind turbines with a capacity of 9.5 MW.

6. Seagreen Offshore Wind Farm

Seagreen, which became completely operational in October 2023, is Scotland’s largest offshore wind farm.

It is 27 km off the Angus coast in the North Sea and is a joint venture between TotalEnergies and SSE Renewables.

It has 114 wind turbines, each with a 10 MW capacity and a total capacity of 1075 MW.

Seagreen wind farm also boasts the deepest fixed-bottom foundation of any wind farm and was one of the biggest construction projects undertaken in Scotland.

This wind farm generates electricity to power over 1.6 million houses and removes the requirement of fossil fuels for power generation, displacing over two million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.

Hence, this project is making a vital contribution to Scotland’s net-zero ambition.

7. Triton Knoll

This 857MW Round 2 offshore wind farm has 90 wind turbines. It lies within the Greater Wash Area, off England’s east coast, around 20 miles off the Lincolnshire coast and 28 miles from the coast of North Norfolk.

It is owned by RWE, Kansai Electric Power and J-Power. RWE managed the construction phase of the project. It can power atleast 935,000 UK households annually.

Construction started in January 2020 by installing the first turbine and monopile steel foundations.

Offshore and Onshore Electric Infrastructure linked the wind farm to the electricity grid. Subsea export cables from the farm reached land north of Anerby Creek, and the power entered the electricity network near Boston through underground cables and an onshore substation.

8. Hollandse Kust Noord

Constructed by CrossWind, a partnership of Shell and Eneco, this offshore wind farm is one of the Netherlands’ most advanced and innovative wind energy projects. It lies 18.5 km off the coast of North Holland.

It became operational on December 20, 2023, and comprises 69 wind turbines, each with a capacity of 11 MW, totalling its capacity to 759 MW. The turbines are just a kilometre apart.

Power cables linking the wind farm to the power socket at sea were laid by TenneT.

Earlier, the Dutch Government said that the offshore wind farm must have at least 100 turbines; however, by opting for bigger and more powerful Siemens Gamesa turbines, the number was reduced to 69.

Crosswind says the project has reduced costs and does not harm the environment. Due to its timely completion, the Netherlands achieved its aim of more than 4.5 GW of wind at sea before 2023 ended.

9. East Anglia ONE

This £2.5 billion project was a joint venture between Macquarie’s Green Investment Group and ScottishPower Renewables.

The 300 km2 wind farm contains 102 Siemens Gamesa Wind Turbines, each with 75 m long blades and a height of 167 m.

It is located 43 kilometres off the coast of Suffolk and is fully operational with a production capacity of 714MW. The wind farm generates enough electricity every year to power over 630,000 homes.

The project plays a major role in contributing to the UK’s goal of meeting Net Zero by 2050.

The construction phase, which started in 2017, generated around 3,500 jobs. About 20% of turbine installation work was done during COVID-19 using small vessels, forming crew households that worked together, and introducing new welfare protocols.

10. Walney Extension offshore wind farm

This wind farm, located in the Irish Sea, produces enough electricity for 600,000 homes. Orsted and partners PFA and AIP Management own the 659 MW project.

It is operated and maintained from Orsted’s base in Barrow-in-Furness and has created over 250 jobs.

The offshore wind farm covers approximately 145 km2 and has 87 wind turbines from leading manufacturers Vestas and Siemens Gamesa, whose blades were built in the U.K.

This is Orsted’s eleventh offshore wind farm in the U.K., built in 2 phases. Walney Extension Offshore Wind Farm brought Orsted’s total capacity in the region to 1.5 GW, enough to power over 1.2 million houses in the U.K.

It held the title of the biggest offshore wind farm in the world until its Hornsea One overtook it in 2020.

11. Gemini Offshore Wind Farm

One of Europe’s largest offshore wind farms, Gemini, lies in the Dutch North Sea. It was built from 2014 to 2017 and became fully operational in April 2017.

It has an installed capacity of 600 MW and can power around 785,000 homes. The wind farm covers 68 km2 and is operated by Northland Power. Other stakeholders in the project include Siemens, HVC, and Alte Leipziger-Hallesche.

The offshore wind farm’s water depth is between 28 and 36 m, and the average wind speed is 10.4 m/s. There are 150 turbines with 63 m long blades and a power generating capacity of 4 MW.

Its total construction cost was about 2.8 billion euros, and subsidies were around 3.6 billion euros.

12. Beatrice Wind Farm

Situated 13 kilometres from the coast of Caithness, it became functional in 2019 after being developed for seven years and constructed in three years.

The first turbine was installed, and power was exported for the first time in July 2018. The last turbine was installed in May 2019.

It is a joint partnership between SSE Renewables, Red Rock Power Limited, The Renewables Infrastructure Group and Equitix.

It was also one of the biggest private investments in Scottish infrastructure, with a capital expenditure of £ 2.5 billion.

Beatrice is one of Scotland’s biggest offshore wind farms, capable of producing 588 MW, enough for about 450,000 houses.

The wind farm is operated and maintained from Wick Harbour on Scotland’s northeastern coast.

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Zahra is an alumna of Miranda House, University of Delhi. She is an avid writer, possessing immaculate research and editing skills. Author of several academic papers, she has also worked as a freelance writer, producing many technical, creative and marketing pieces. A true aesthete at heart, she loves books a little more than anything else.

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