Ørsted gets go-ahead for Hornsea Three Offshore Wind Farm

The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Alok Sharma, has announced that consent has been granted for the Hornsea Three Offshore Wind Farm.

Ørsted, one of the leading energy groups in Northern Europe with 6.8GW of operational capacity globally, have been granted consent for the Hornsea Three Offshore Wind Farm.

To date, Hornsea One and Hornsea Two have both received planning consent, with Hornsea One now operational and Hornsea Two currently under construction. In May 2018,  Ørsted submitted an application for a third project in the zone, Hornsea Project Three Offshore Wind Farm.

Hornsea Three will be located in the North Sea, approximately 121 km off the Norfolk coast and 160 km off the Yorkshire coast and will be capable of generating at least 2,400 MW of green electricity.

Once complete, the wind farm could provide clean power to over 2 million UK homes and offset over 128.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide over its lifetime.

Duncan Clark, Head of UK Region, said: “We are delighted to confirm that Hornsea Three offshore wind farm has been granted consent by the Secretary of State for BEIS. This determination is the culmination of a thorough and rigorous process which ensures that the project can deliver much needed clean energy at scale for the UK, whilst ensuring the potential environmental impacts of the project are minimised."

"We’ve worked closely with key stakeholders to develop a robust compensation plan focused on the implementation of onshore artificial nesting structures specifically designed for kittiwake. We’d like to thank everyone involved in the project to date and for the productive discussions, feedback and comments that have helped shape and refine our proposals."

The unique compensation plan for Hornsea Three will help show that the Government can deliver on its offshore wind ambition of 40GW by 2030.

Duncan Clark added: “Climate change remains a very serious threat to our environment and habitats and there is an ever pressing need to act. Once complete, Hornsea Three could provide clean power to over 2 million UK homes and offset over 128.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. It will make a significant contribution towards meeting the UK’s net zero commitments and in the crucial fight against climate change. We will now be reviewing the full Development Consent Order and will continue to work closely with stakeholders and local communities as we take the project forward.”

Photo Credit: Ørsted

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