Seabed Investigations Set to Begin at Ørsted’s Hornsea Three Offshore Wind Farm

Seabed investigations using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) are scheduled to start at the site of Ørsted’s Hornsea Three offshore wind farm in the UK on March 1.

A work-class ROV will be deployed from a DP vessel to investigate discrete areas of the seabed, both in the array site and on the export cable route, according to a recent Notice to Mariners.

The DP vessel is expected to mobilize in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on February 26 and begin survey works on March 1, with operations expected to last approximately 60 days, allowing for mobilization, survey operations, and weather contingencies.

Development of Hornsea Three

Ørsted was awarded a Contract for Difference (CfD) for Hornsea Three in July 2022, with the developer stating that the wind farm would have an installed capacity of 2.9 GW, making it the largest single offshore wind farm in the world.

In 2023, Ørsted took the Final Investment Decision (FID) on the offshore wind farm, utilizing the flexibility of the CfD framework to submit a portion of Hornsea Three’s capacity into the UK’s CfD allocation round 6 (AR6).

Hornsea Three was awarded 1,080 MW capacity in the UK’s AR6 auction in September 2024, solidifying its place in the country’s offshore wind portfolio.

Future Prospects

The 2.9 GW offshore wind farm, located approximately 160 kilometers off the Yorkshire coast, will be equipped with around 200 Siemens Gamesa’s 14 MW wind turbines and is expected to be operational by 2027.

Upon completion, Ørsted’s Hornsea offshore wind farms – comprising Hornsea 1, 2, and 3 – will collectively boast a capacity of over 5 GW, establishing itself as one of the largest offshore wind zones globally.