Ørsted pioneered the world’s first offshore wind farm in Vindeby, Denmark in 1991. Generating just 5 megawatts, it powered 2,200 Danish homes – and proved that the concept of offshore wind power worked.
Now Ørsted is delivering the world’s single largest offshore wind farm off the coast of East Anglia: Hornsea 3.
A truly trailblazing project, Hornsea 3 will generate enough low-cost, secure, renewable electricity to power more than 3.3 million UK homes.
Delivering benefits to the local community
“One of the truly exciting things about Hornsea 3 is the benefits it will bring not just globally and to the wider UK, but to the communities in Norfolk and Suffolk,” said Luke Bridgman, managing director of Hornsea 3.
Located 160 km off the Yorkshire coast and 120 km off the Norfolk coast, Hornsea 3 will support up to 5,000 jobs during its construction phase.
It will also deliver billions to the local and national economy through supply chain investment and is expected to support a further 1,200 permanent jobs both directly and in the supply chain during the project’s decades of operation and maintenance.
“It really matters to us at Ørsted that we work in collaboration with local communities and leave a lasting positive legacy,” said Luke.
Ørsted invests in the future of the local communities where it constructs and operates its projects through community benefit funds, partnerships, support for expanding science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education among primary, secondary and university students, as well as apprenticeships and jobs training.
“As well as Hornsea 3 supporting investment in the local supply chain and jobs, we’ve launched a community benefit fund which offers £700,000 each year for the next ten years. Every six months eligible communities in the coastal and cable route areas can bid for funding for projects important to them.”
Ørsted wants communities to remain informed about the progress of the project and is determined to deliver it in a low-impact way that protects and restores nature both onshore and offshore.
A major national infrastructure project
Hornsea 3, which will have a generating capacity of 2.9 gigawatts (GW), will make a significant contribution toward UK energy security and the government’s climate and clean energy targets.
“Energy security is of increasing importance,” said Luke. “Once complete, Hornsea 3 will contribute enough clean energy to power more than 3 million homes. That is UK-generated energy over which we’ll have control, produced without harm to the planet, and of which there is an inexhaustible supply.”
The project will also include a battery energy storage system which will help provide stability to the UK energy supply and reduce price volatility. On windy and sunny days, when renewable energy generation exceeds demand, the battery will store the excess energy so that it can be discharged later to balance the grid.
“The battery will help ensure that renewable energy is used in the best possible way by storing it when demand is lower and then releasing it back into the system when it’s really needed,” said Duncan Clark, head of Ørsted UK & Ireland. “This maximises the potential of renewable energy whilst providing increased energy security and value to consumers.”
With a capacity of 600 MWh, equivalent to the daily power consumption of 80,000 UK homes, the battery energy storage system will be one of the largest in Europe upon completion.
Hornsea 3 is Ørsted’s third gigawatt-scale project in the Hornsea zone, which the company has been developing since 2015.
It will join its record-breaking sister projects Hornsea 1, which has a capacity of 1.2 GW, and Hornsea 2 with a capacity of 1.4 GW. The two operational projects are already helping the UK on its journey to net-zero – generating enough renewable electricity to provide 2.5 million UK homes with green power.
With Hornsea 3, Norfolk and Suffolk are playing a large role in building the UK’s green energy future.
For more information, visit hornseaproject3.co.uk
This article is part of LOCALiQ's Clean & Green campaign, which aims to promote our region as the biggest in the UK and Europe for all forms of renewable energy.
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