Denmark’s Dong Energy has been awarded a contract to build its 1.4 gigawatt Hornsea Project Two to create the world’s largest offshore wind farm.
With a capacity of 1,386 megawatts, enough to power over 1.3 million U.K. homes, Hornsea Project Two will become the world’s biggest wind farm, even surpassing the 1,200 megawatt giant Hornsea Project One, which DONG Energy is currently constructing.
Hornsea Project Two will be built 89 kilometers from the Yorkshire coast and is expected to be operational from 2022. The project will contribute significantly to DONG Energy’s ambition of reaching a total offshore wind capacity of 11 gigawatts to 12 gigawatts by 2025.
“We have always promoted size as a key driver for cost. The ideal size of an offshore wind farm is 800 megawatts to 1,500 megawatts, and therefore it is natural that Hornsea Project Two will deliver record-low costs to society,” said Samuel Leupold, executive vice president and CEO of Wind Power at DONG Energy. “At the same time, the low strike price demonstrates the cost saving potential of developer-built offshore grid connections, which in the U.K. is included in the project scope. We remain fully committed to financial discipline, and Hornsea Project Two will be value creating to our investors.”
“This is a breakthrough moment for offshore wind in the United Kingdom and a massive step forward for the industry,” said Matthew Wright, managing director for DONG Energy U.K. “Not only will Hornsea Project Two provide low cost, clean energy to the United Kingdom, it will also deliver high-quality jobs and another huge boost to the U.K. supply chain.”
Offshore wind costs are falling rapidly and long-term and highly skilled jobs are being created across the North of England, according to Wright. The U.K. supply chain is going from strength to strength and the industry is seeing the benefits of this commitment to offshore wind. Wright believes it has the potential to play a key part in the realization of the United Kingdom’s industrial strategy.
DONG Energy is already constructing Hornsea Project One and has started the consultation process for Hornsea Project Three, underlining the huge potential of this area of the North Sea for offshore wind.
