Siemens Gamesa announced Thursday that it signed a contract for the supply of 165 wind turbines for the world's "largest offshore project to date", Hornsea Two off Britain's east coast, promoted by Danish energy distributor Orsted.
The installation of the SG 8.0-167 Direct Drive wind turbines 89 kilometers (55 miles) from the British east coast is scheduled for 2021, a press release said.
According to the statement, the project with a combined rating of 1,386 megawatts (MW) is not only the largest wind project in Siemens Gamesa's history, but also the largest single order in the history of offshore wind energy.
Once it enters service in early 2022, Hornsea Two will provide clean energy to approximately 1.3 million British households, it said.
"The nacelles for Hornsea Two will be produced at Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy's innovative factory in Cuxhaven, Germany, while the majority of the blades will be made at the factory in Hull, U.K., where the pre-assembly work will also be carried out," the statement read.
The towers are expected to be partly sourced from U.K. suppliers, Siemens Gamesa said, adding a single 8 MW turbine was capable of generating enough electricity for over 8,000 average European households.
"Originally planned for up to 300 turbines, Hornsea Two has been adapted to the progress of the significantly more powerful hardware. With only 165 units at the same total output, the project benefits from significantly improved economic efficiency and simultaneously reduced levelized cost of energy," the company said.
According to the statement, Hornsea One is currently the world's largest offshore wind project with a capacity of 1,218 MW. Also developed by Orsted, the park is still under construction.
(Anadolu Agency, 29/06/2018)
