The Norwegian company Aibel has contracted Heerema for the transport and installation of two offshore converter stations (OCS) for the Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm, being developed by the Danish multinational power company, Ørsted.

The Hornsea offshore wind farm comprises of several projects, with Project 1 being completed in early 2020. Project 2 will be completed in 2022. Project 3 is expected to begin construction in 2022, and be completed by 2025. Construction on Project 4 is expected to start in 2023, end 2027.

The Hornsea Project 3 will be to the east of Projects 1 and 2, in the North Sea, off the coast of the United-Kingdom, about 160 km off the coast of Yorkshire and 120 km off the coast of Norfolk. Once completed, Project 3 will have the capacity to produce 2.852 gigawatts of green energy, estimated to be enough to meet the average daily needs of over 3 million British homes.

After the developer Ørsted was allocated a Contract for Difference (CFD) on July 7, 2022, Heerema was contracted. The Dutch group’s work will include the transportation and installation of two jackets and topsides for the offshore converter stations, as well as eight skirt piles. 

First, the jackets will be lifted and placed onto the seabed by Heerema. Then, the piles will be installed to ensure the jackets are fixed to the seabed. Once the jackets are in place, the topside will be placed on top of them, and the offshore converter stations will be complete.

Heerema was previously contracted by Ørsted’s in the construction of the Hornsea 2. Heerema has also worked on the He Dreiht wind farm and the Baltic Eagle substation in Germany, among many others.