World’s Biggest Offshore Wind Farm Hornsea 3 Installs First Monopile Foundation In North Sea

The first of the 197 monopile foundations has been installed at the world’s biggest offshore wind farm, the Hornsea 3, in the North Sea, which is set to begin operations in 2027.

Offshore company Cadeler, which is the contractor for transporting and installing the monopiles, said that this was possible only because of years of planning, engineering and coordination across onshore and offshore teams.

The company stated that this is the first time it has handled a project of this scale, which is estimated to create around 5000 construction jobs and an extra 1200 long-term ones.

The monopile was put in place using a specialised A-Class installation ship, the Wind Ally, designed to move and install the XXL monopile foundations for offshore wind farms.

Another vessel, called the Wind Orca, installed the steel structures.

Offshore services company Boston Energy carried out the post-installation commissioning work for the monopile foundation.

Bradley Scott, Cadeler project director, called it a vital project for the company’s offshore expansion goals.

“We are proud to support Ørsted on Hornsea 3 and grateful to all teams offshore and onshore whose commitment and collaboration have contributed to reaching this point safely and successfully,” Scott added.

Operated by Orsted, the wind farm is situated 75 miles off Norfolk and around 100 miles off Yorkshire in the United Kingdom and has a capacity of 2.9 GW, capable of powering over 3.3 million homes in the country with renewable energy.

Hornsea 3 is a part of the wider Hornsea Zone in the North Sea and has become one of the world’s most significant offshore wind development regions.

Covering over 4,730 square kilometres, the Hornsea Zone includes the operational Hornsea 1 and Hornsea 2 projects, and Hornsea 3, which is under construction.

It will also accommodate the planned Hornsea 4 offshore wind farm.