Ørsted is preparing to start installing wind turbines at its Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm in the UK, with the first Siemens Gamesa turbine components now at Able Seaton Port in northeast England and installation vessels mobilising for the campaign.
The developer said blades, nacelles and tower sections were on site at Able Seaton Port, where the components are being handled and prepared for offshore deployment. Able said the first Siemens Gamesa turbine components arrived at the port in July 2026. Since then, its heavy-lift and logistics teams have moved blades, nacelles and tower sections from the quayside into storage, with tower sections being pre-assembled ahead of load-out.
According to Able, DEME’s jack-up installation vessel Norse Energi has arrived at the port for the offshore installation campaign.
The project’s Notice to Mariners issued on 9 November lists Norse Energi as mobilising from Teesport that day, with Cadeler’s wind turbine installation vessel Wind Pace scheduled to mobilise from Hull on 15 November. IWS Seawalker and support vessels Fob Swath 9 and Fob Swath 10 are scheduled to mobilise from Hull on the same date for commissioning work.
According to the notice, wind turbine installation and commissioning will be underway until November 2027.
The preparations for wind turbine installation come as offshore construction work progresses at Hornsea 3, after the first monopile was installed in May this year.
In September, Heerema Marine Contractors completed the installation of the project’s second offshore converter station, following the installation of the first in March. This month, Seaway7 also started installing the wind farm’s inter-array cables.
Hornsea 3, located approximately 120 kilometres off the Norfolk coast and 160 kilometres off the Yorkshire coast, will comprise 197 Siemens Gamesa SG 14-236 DD turbines. According to the developer, the 2.9 GW offshore wind farm is expected to generate enough electricity to power more than 3.3 million UK homes once fully operational.