Aibel has completed the second offshore converter station topside for the Hornsea 3 offshore wind project at its yard in Thailand. The substation, Hornsea 3 Link 2, has started its journey to Europe, according to a social media post Aibel shared on 22 October.
Aibel and Hitachi Energy signed a contract with Ørsted in 2022 to deliver two HVDC offshore converter stations for the 2.9 GW UK offshore wind farm. Under the contract, Aibel is responsible for the engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) of two HVDC converter platforms, which are based on Hitachi Energy’s modular HVDC system.
The first substation topside for Ørsted’s offshore wind farm arrived from Thailand in Haugesund, Norway, in June this year. At Aibel’s yard in Norway, the topsides will undergo final outfitting and commissioning before being installed at the offshore project site in 2026.
The two HVDC platforms will be transported and installed at the Hornsea 3 site by Heerema Marine Contractors, under a contract the company secured in 2022.
Hornsea 3, to be built approximately 160 kilometres off the Yorkshire coast, will comprise around 200 Siemens Gamesa’s 14 MW wind turbines and is expected to be operational in 2027.
Ørsted says that with the installed capacity of 2.9 GW, Hornsea 3 is the largest single offshore wind farm in the world, as it was developed and will be built as a single project rather than a phased development.