Published On: March 14, 2022|890 words|4.9 min read|

The UK is one of the top leaders for installing offshore wind energy and has multiple projects in place to help reach net-zero targets by 2050. There are eight large offshore wind projects in development in the UK to help the country achieve its goal of 40GW of offshore wind by 2030.

Hornsea Two Offshore Wind Farm

Located approximately 89km (55.3 miles) off the Yorkshire coast in the North Sea, Hornsea Two Offshore Wind Farm will overtake Hornsea One as the world’s largest offshore wind farm.
The wind farm will use 165 Siemens Gamesa turbines and deliver 20% more annual output than those used for Hornsea One. With that, Hornsea Two will overtake the first project as the world’s biggest offshore wind farm with a capacity of over 1.3GW and supply power to more than 1.3 million homes. Hornsea Two will become fully operational in 2022.

Dogger Bank Wind Farm A, B & C

Dogger Bank Wind Farm is an offshore wind farm being developed in three phases – Dogger Bank A, B and C – located between 130km and 190km from the North-East coast of England at their nearest points. They will collectively become the world’s largest offshore wind farm.
The project represents a multi-billion pound investment. Combined, they will have an installed capacity of 3.6GW and capable of powering up to 6 million homes.

Dogger Bank A

Dogger Bank A is the first phase of Dogger Bank Wind Farm and is located around 131km from shore at its closest point and has a development area of around 515km². Once completed, it will have an installed generation capacity of 1.2GW.

Dogger Bank B

Dogger Bank B, the largest of the projects, boasts a development area of around 599km², and is also around 131km from shore at its closest point. It will have an installed generation capacity of 1.2GW.

Dogger Bank C

Dogger Bank C, also with an installed generation capacity of 1.2GW, has a development area of around 560km2, and is 196km from shore. The connection will be at the existing Lackenby Substation at Teesside.

Moray West Offshore Wind Farm

In 2016 the development phase for the Moray West offshore wind farm commenced following the award of seabed rights from The Crown Estate, with site-specific surveys leading to applications for marine and onshore consents. All necessary consents were secured in early 2019 and allow for:

  • Up to 85 wind turbines
  • Associated substructures and seabed foundations
  • Inter-array cables
  • Two Offshore Substation Platforms
  • Offshore export cable circuits
  • Onshore cable jointing bays and cabling for two underground circuits from landfall to Whitehillock
  • Onshore substation at Whitehillock
  • Onshore underground cabling between Whitehillock substation and Blackhillock substation

Sofia Offshore Wind Farm

The 1.4 GW Sofia Offshore Wind Farm is currently the largest offshore wind project in the RWE’s portfolio. Situated on the shallow central area of the North Sea known as Dogger Bank, the project is now under construction on a site of 593km² and will be operated out of an RWE hub in Grimsby.
It will have a single offshore converter platform, with the electricity generated transferred from there, via a high voltage direct current export cable, to Redcar, Teesside landfall 220 km away. It will need a new onshore converter station and has a granted grid connection point at the existing National Grid substation in Lackenby, Teesside.

East Anglia Hub Offshore Wind Complex (EA1 North, EA2, EA3)

This offshore wind farm complex will see the development of three projects capable of delivering a total installed capacity of 3,100MW: East Anglia ONE North, East Anglia TWO and East Anglia THREE.
The works represent an investment of GBP 6,500 billion and are located in the East Anglia area.
Operated by Iberdrola’s UK subsidiary, ScottishPower Renewables, the construction of the East Anglia Hub will likely start in 2023 and wrap up in 2026.

Erebus Floating Offshore Wind Farm

There could be as much as 50GW of electricity capacity available in the Celtic Sea waters of the UK and Ireland according to independent studies. This source of renewable energy could make a huge difference to the UK meeting its 2050 Net-Zero target required to alleviate climate change.
As the first floating offshore wind project in the Celtic Sea, Erebus will provide new low carbon supply chain prospects, support coastal communities, and establish long-term benefits for the region.

Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm

The Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm, presently in late-stage development, will see up to 72 turbines located 15km off the Angus Coast and connect to the National Grid at Cockenzie, East Lothian.
Upon completion, the wind farm will be one of Scotland’s largest single sources of renewable energy and will be capable of powering up to 1 million homes.

Seagreen Offshore Wind Farm

Seagreen is an offshore wind farm development owned by SSE Renewables (49%) and TotalEnergies (51%). SSE Renewables is leading the development and construction of the joint venture project, supported by TotalEnergies, and will operate Seagreen on completion.

The first power is anticipated for early 2022 with the offshore wind farm projected to enter commercial operation in early 2023.

Over 1.6 million homes will be powered by the 114 Seagreen wind turbines, equivalent to two-thirds of all Scottish homes.

Over 2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide will also be displaced from electricity generated by fossil fuels every year. This is comparable to removing over a third of all of Scotland’s annual car emissions, therefore, making a substantial contribution to the Scottish net-zero ambitions for 2045.

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