Siemens Gamesa to supply turbines for Ørsted’s Hornsea Two offshore wind farm

Danish energy giant Ørsted has selected Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) as the exclusive supplier of turbines for its 1.386GW Hornsea Two offshore wind farm to be built 89km off the east coast of Yorkshire, England.

Siemens Gamesa will supply and install 8.0-167DD turbines with a total capacity of 1.386GW. The offshore wind farm is expected to be operational by 2022.

Spanning over an area of 462km², the wind farm is set to become the largest facility of its kind in the UK upon completion.

Ørsted, Hornsea Project Two programme director Duncan Clark said: “We’re pleased to have selected Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) for the delivery of turbines for the world’s biggest offshore wind farm.

“The SGRE factory in Hull has already been producing blades for our Race Bank and Walney Extension projects, and will produce the majority of blades for Hornsea Project One. This selection paves the way for more, and even larger, UK made blades at a UK offshore wind farm, underlining this country’s world-leading position in the sector.

“Hornsea Project Two is a game-changing renewable energy project in terms of both size and cost, and this selection is an important step in the procurement and construction process.”

Each of the wind turbines will feature a rotor measuring 167m in diameter. SGRE claims that the blades are 81.5m long and have an 18% wider swept area and deliver 20% more output than its predecessor, the SWT-7.0-154.

SGRE stated that the nacelles will be produced at its new factory in Cuxhaven, Germany. Pre-assembly work will also be carried out at the Hull facility. Towers could be partly sourced from UK suppliers.

The wind farm will generate enough clean electricity that can be supplied to more than 1.3 million UK homes, while offsetting about 1.9 million tonnes of CO2 and 40,000 tonnes of SO2 from the atmosphere. The expected life span of this wind farm is about 50 years.

During the construction phase, the wind farm will create about 2,000 jobs and 130 permanent jobs, when it is operational.

SGRE Offshore CEO Andreas Nauen said: “We are very pleased that Ørsted has placed its trust in Siemens Gamesa once again. Hornsea Project Two will be a benchmark in Europe, not only on account of its size but also its technology.”

Image: Siemens Gamesa will supply 8MW turbines for Hornsea Two project. Photo: Courtesy of Ørsted.