Worlds largest offshore wind farm to be built in the UK

Posted on 2018-03-01




The UK has planned to create the world's largest offshore wind farm.

The 1.2-gigawatt wind farm's construction is off the coast of Yorkshire, 74.5 miles into the sea and is expected to be completed by 2020. A project of this scale will greatly benefit the lives of many Britons, supplying power to over a million homes.

For the project, 174 monopiles have already been installed for the first phase of Hornsea Project One. Monopiles are cylindrical bases for the turbines and are submerged deep within the sea floor. Those used in the Hornsea Project One are made from steel, 65 meters in height and weigh 800 tons.

The company responsible for the build is Ørsted, formerly known as Dong Energy. They are a Danish company and one of the leading providers of energy.

Ørsted has also won the rights to Hornsea Project Two and Three. The two expansions off the coast of Britain will add an extra 3 gigawatts. The combined space needed to accommodate all these turbines would take up an area of twice the size of Greater London. Once all 3 projects are complete, it's estimated that electricity generated by these offshore instalments will be enough to power 4 million homes.

Projects like this are a step in the right direction. Post-Brexit the UK will need to be more dependent on their own resources and what’s better than reliable, clean, and renewable energy to supply their electricity demands?