According to Danish energy giant Orsted, the Hornsea 2 offshore wind farm has generated its first power.
Hornsea 2 lies about 89 kilometres off the east coast of the United Kingdom. It will span 462 square kilometres and be powered by 165 Siemens Gamesa turbines with a combined capacity of approximately 1.3 gigawatts. The company claims that it will power over 1.3 million homes once completed.
The project generated its first power on Saturday. According to Orsted, when Hornsea 2 is entirely operational in 2022, it will be the “world’s largest operating offshore wind farm.”
According to the firm Hornsea 1, the “sibling project” of Hornsea 2 currently holds that title. On Monday, Orsted announced, “Together, the two projects will be able to provide enough power for well over 2.3 million homes.”
“From here, we have the finishing line in sight as we install the remaining turbines and continue testing, commissioning, and energising our wind farm into the new year.” Patrick Harnett, senior program director for Hornsea 2, said in a statement.
The United Kingdom has a developed offshore wind industry that is expected to grow in the following years, with officials aiming for 40 GW of capacity by 2030. The European Union, which the United Kingdom departed in January 2020, aims for 300 GW of offshore wind by the middle of this century.
The United States has a long road ahead before catching up with Europe across the Atlantic. The Block Island Wind Farm, a 30-megawatt facility off the coast of Rhode Island, was America’s first offshore wind farm, and it started commercial operations in late 2016.
However, change is on the way as the groundwork on the “first commercial-scale offshore wind farm in the United States” began in November.
The Departments of Energy, Interior, and Commerce unveiled plans in March to install 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030, aiming to create thousands of jobs and attract billions of dollars in investment.
Source: Orsted
