Hornsea 3 Offshore Converter Station Topside Arrives in Norway for Final Outfitting

June 18, 2025, by Adnan Memija

The first of two offshore converter station topsides for Ørsted’s Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm has arrived in Haugesund, Norway.

The converter station topside began its journey from Thailand to Norway in April 2025, where it will undergo final outfitting and commissioning. The platform is scheduled for offshore installation next year.

Aibel and Hitachi Energy are responsible for the delivery of offshore converter stations under a contract signed with Ørsted in 2022.

Aibel started working on the offshore substations in April 2023. Hitachi Energy will supply two HVDC Light converter systems, while Aibel will deliver two HVDC offshore converter platforms.

First Hornsea 3 Offshore Converter Station En Route to Europe

Project Updates

Heerema Marine Contractors won a contract in 2022 for the transportation and installation of two HVDC platforms for the Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm in the UK.

Ørsted was awarded a Contract for Difference (CfD) for Hornsea Three in July 2022, with the developer saying that with an installed capacity of 2.9 GW, Hornsea 3 was the largest single offshore wind farm in the world.

In May 2025, preparation work for the installation of the export cable started with boulder and debris relocation. In addition, a geophysical survey also began last month.

Located approximately 160 kilometres off the Yorkshire coast, the Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm will feature about 200 Siemens Gamesa’s 14 MW turbines.

The project is expected to be operational in 2027.