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The Last Turbine in World's Largest Offshore Wind Farm Is Up and Running

Fredericia, Denmark - The largest offshore wind farm in the world to date, Hornesea One, is close to the finish line. The last of a total of 174 turbines has now been installed. The commissioning phase can now begin.

The construction of Hornsea One, the world's largest offshore wind farm to date, began in January 2018 with the construction of the first monopile foundation. Now, some 20 months later, the installation team has installed the last of 174 Siemens Gamesa wind turbines, each with a rated output of 7 megawatts (MW).

For the erection of the wind turbines at the site, the turbine components were transported over a distance of around 120 km by two special ships. The main components (steel tower, rotor blades and nacelle) of four turbines were loaded onto one ship. On average, it took about 12 hours for an offshore wind turbine to be fully installed.

“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 One has truly paved the way for the next generation of offshore wind farms”, says Duncan Clark, Ørsted Programme Director for Hornsea One. Through a truly extraordinary effort by all involved, it was possible to create a new standard in the course of an impressive performance, Clark continued.

Due to the distance of about 120 km from the shore, the offshore construction team was permanently housed at sea near the wind farm site on board of the GMS Endeavour, a special vessel with facilities such as a gym, laundry service and high-speed internet. The employees were on duty for two weeks at a time.

Ørsted, listed in the global share index RENIXX World, is the world market leader in offshore wind energy. Ørsted has benefited from the Hornsea One's fantastic working relationships with contractors and suppliers, including shipping companies, who have maintained a constant flow of communication to ensure that the turbine installation was completed on time and within budget, adds Clark. In total, over 8,000 employees at contractors, suppliers and Ørsted itself are involved in the construction of the mega wind farm.



Source: IWR Online, 08 Oct 2019

 


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