World's Largest Offshore Wind Farm Starts Producing Electricity

The switch has been flicked on a wind farm off the shore of the UK of unprecedented scale, with Danish energy firm Orsted announcing that Hornsea 2 has produced its first power.

Photo Insert: Hornsea 2

It is expected to become fully operational next year as the world's biggest offshore wind farm, and provide enough power for more than 1.3 million homes in the UK, Nick Lavars reported for New Atlas.

The Hornsea 2 project was approved back in 2016 as an addition to the Hornsea 1 project, which became commercially operational last year as the largest offshore wind farm in the world, with 174 turbines and a 1.2-GW capacity that provides power to over one million UK homes.

Taking the "world's largest" title with its 1.32-GW capacity, Hornsea 2 is located 89 km (55 miles) off the east coast of the UK and features 165 of Siemens' Gamesa 8-MW wind turbines. The offshore substation and reactive compensation station were installed in October this year, allowing operator Orsted to achieve the farm's first power.

When completed, Hornsea 2 will send wind power back to shore via more than 800 km (497 miles) of cabling, connecting to the national grid at the village of Killingholme. Together with its sibling Hornsea 1, the farms are expected to provide enough power for more than 2.3 million homes.

Also in the works is Hornsea 3, which received a Development Consent Order last year and will power more than two million homes, and Hornsea 4, which is currently in the planning phase. The Hornsea 2 offshore wind farm is expected to provide enough power for more than 1.3 million homes.

WEEKLY FEATURE : MVP Group Keeps Lights On During Pandemic