The first operations crew has sailed to Orsted’s Hornsea 1 wind farm off east England to commence work at the 1200MW project.
A team of 32 staff left Grimsby on Friday to tackle O&M work at the scheme, which is still in construction, the developer said.
The crew will spend two weeks at the wind farm aboard a purpose-built service operations vessel before being replaced by a second shift of workers.
Construction at the project off Yorkshire remains ongoing with the bulk of the 174 Siemens Gamesa 7MW turbines still to be installed. So far, over 50 have been erected.
Deputy operations manager David Coussens, who is leading the first operational shift, said working at a wind farm located 120km from shore is “unprecedented”.
“We’ve had to think creatively and come up with new ways of working to overcome the logistical and technical challenges of operating a massive power station 120km from the shore, about the same distance as Grimsby to Leeds,” he said.
“A big part of this is our people, and ensuring offshore life is as comfortable as possible for them. There is even 4G internet connection already out there, a huge feat given the distance from shore. I am really looking forward to our first two-week shift.”
Hornsea 1 will be fully operational later this year.
Head of operations Morten Holm said: “Hornsea One changes the game in the way we produce clean electricity around the globe. It’s the first of a new generation of offshore wind farms, that are much bigger than anyone has ever attempted to build before.”