Orsted has taken the final investment decision on its 2900MW Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm in England.
Siemens Gamesa will supply SG 14-236 DD offshore wind turbines, which have a capacity of 14MW excluding power boost.
It is expected to be completed around the end of 2027.
Hornsea 3 will be located in the North Sea, approximately 120 km off the Norfolk coast and 160 km off the Yorkshire coast.
The project will be Orsted’s third gigawatt-scale project in the Hornsea zone following Hornsea 1 (1.2GW) and Hornsea 2 (1.3 GW), which are already being operated out of the Danish developer’s operations and maintenance hub in Grimsby.
Orsted warned in March that plans to build the project were “at risk” unless the government offers tax breaks to offset soaring costs.
Orsted has appointed Havfram Wind and Cadeler to install turbines at Hornsea 3, starting in 2026.
Cadeler will transport and install of all monopile type foundations on the project.
Prysmian Group will be responsible for the design, manufacture, supply, termination and testing of the wire system that will connect the wind turbines and the offshore converter station.
Hellenic Cables will be responsible for the design, manufacturing, supply, termination and testing of the inter-array cables that will connect the wind turbines and the offshore converter station in the North Sea.
Mads Nipper, group president and chief executive of Orsted, said: “By applying our world-leading capabilities within offshore wind innovation, engineering, operations, procurement, and financing, we’ve been able to mature the world’s largest offshore wind project and take final investment decision.
“Offshore wind is an extremely competitive global market, so we also welcome the attractive policy regime in the UK which has helped secure this investment.
“We look forward to constructing this landmark project, which will deliver massive amounts of green energy to UK households and businesses and will be a significant addition to the world’s largest offshore wind cluster.”
Duncan Clark, head of Orsted UK & Ireland, said: “Hornsea 3 will be a cornerstone in achieving the UK government’s climate and clean energy targets while increasing energy independence and creating local jobs.
“Our decision to build Hornsea 3 is a vote of confidence in the UK market for offshore wind, as we continue to invest significantly in UK clean energy infrastructure and in the UK supply chain.”
RenewableUK’s chief executive Dan McGrail said the FID was “a huge vote of confidence in Britain’s cutting-edge offshore wind industry”
He added: “To put this into context, Hornsea 3 is more than double the capacity of the world’s largest operational offshore wind farm Hornsea 2, so this represents a massive step forward in terms of sheer scale.
“Today’s announcement also shows that the Government has been listening to the industry after the disappointment of this summer’s CfD auction which procured no new offshore wind.
“The announcements made by Ministers over the last two months of more sustainable administrative strike prices, permanent full expensing for investors in green technologies and funding to support clean energy manufacturing in the UK are putting us back on track to make Britain one of the most attractive countries for international investors in offshore wind.
“The Government’s commitments to reform the planning system to make decisions faster and cut grid connection delays also send strong signals that the UK is one of the best offshore wind markets in the world.
“We’re looking forward to more key announcements in the new year, including the publication in March of further details on next year’s CfD auction, which we hope will secure a record annual amount of new clean energy capacity.”
