Words by Smiley Team
The world's largest offshore windfarm is now fully operational, just of the coast of Yorkshire.
Named 'Hornsea 2', it'll give the UK's renewables sector a boost and has the ability to power more than one million homes.
“Not only will Hornsea 2 provide low-cost, clean energy for millions of homes, it has also delivered thousands of high-quality jobs and billions of pounds of investment in the UK’s offshore wind supply chain,” said Duncan Clark of Ørsted, the firm behind the facility.
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The 1.3GW offshore wind farm has 165 wind turbines, and will help power over 1.4 million UK homes with low-cost, clean and secure renewable energy.
The wind farm spans an area of 462 km2, which is the same as around 64,000 football fields. Each wind turbine blade is 81m long and the blade tip reaches more than 200m above sea level. 390km of subsea export cables take the power generated from Hornsea 2 to the shore at Horseshoe Point in Lincolnshire
It's situated alongside its sibling Hornsea 1 – and together, they can power 2.5 million homes and make a significant contribution to the UK ambition of having 50 GW offshore wind in operation by 2030.
But it's not stopping there. The "Hornsea zone" – an area of the North Sea covering more than 2,000 km2 – is also set to include Hornsea 3. The 2.8 GW project is planned to follow Hornsea 2 having been awarded a contract for difference from the UK government earlier this year.
Duncan Clark, Head of Region UK at Ørsted, said: "The UK is truly a world leader in offshore wind and the completion of Hornsea 2 is a tremendous milestone for the offshore wind industry, not just in the UK but globally.
"Current global events highlight more than ever the importance of landmark renewable energy projects like Hornsea 2, helping the UK increase the security and resilience of its energy supply and drive down costs for consumers by reducing dependence on expensive fossil fuels.”
SUPPORT: The Renewable Energy Foundation works hard to supply sustainable energy within the UK. Find out more.
