The first of Hornsea 3’s two offshore converter stations’ topsides is heading to Europe following the sail-away from Map Ta Phut in Thailand.
Completed by Orsted’s Thailand-based team in partnership with Aibel and Hitachi Energy, the structure once installed will rise 70 metres above sea level – or 1.2 times the height of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
The topside needed 38 special self-propelled motor transporters (SMPTs) with 380 axles under the support frames to move it onto the vessel in preparation for the voyage.
It is now on a 55-day voyage of more than 13,000 nautical miles to Haugesund, Norway for the installation and commissioning of high-voltage equipment so it is ready for use offshore.
The structure is travelling on the heavy transportation vessel BigLift Barentsz (pictured).
Prior to sail-away, the load and the voyage was blessed by Buddhist monks in a special ceremony.
Hornsea 3 managing director Luke Bridgman said: “The sail-away of the first of our Hornsea 3 offshore converter station topsides is an important milestone.
“It marks the culmination of three years of hard work by our teams in Europe and Thailand, and the start of our next phase in delivering the world’s single biggest offshore wind farm.
“This huge structure is an impressive piece of engineering, which so far has been completed safely, efficiently, on time and on budget.
“It’s a testament to the skill of our workers, as well as a visual aid demonstrating the complexity and scale of Hornsea 3.”
Orsted signed the contract to provide offshore converter stations with Aibel and Hitachi Energy in 2022.
Hornsea 3 is located approximately 120km off the Norfolk coast and 160km off the Yorkshire coast in the UK.
Once operational, it will have a capacity of 2.9GW, generating enough green energy to power more than 3 million UK homes.