This is the latest phase of Hornsea 3’s offshore construction programme, following the successful installation of the first offshore converter station and the pulling of the first offshore export cable onto land to meet its onshore counterpart in Q1 2026.
The XXL monopiles are the largest used by Ørsted on any of its European wind farms to date and each will be topped by a 15MW turbine. Once completed, Hornsea 3 will be capable of generating 2.9GW of clean energy – enough to power more than 3.3m UK homes.
Installation of the other 196 monopiles will continue over the course of 2026 and into 2027.
Each monopile weighs an average of 1,670 tonnes and is 90m in length; the equivalent weight to nine of the heaviest blue whales and the length of around three of the longest.
Ørsted specialists are working in tandem with those aboard Cadeler’s Wind Ally installation vessel which was expressly designed to carry XXL monopiles.
In total, a team of more than 200 experts from Ørsted and its contractors, Cadeler and Menck, are working to ensure that all 197 monopiles are installed safely within the Hornsea Zone, located 120km off the coast of Norfolk.
Luke Bridgman, Managing Director, Hornsea 3 at Ørsted, said: “The installation of Hornsea 3’s first monopile is a proud moment for us and is down to the expertise and hard work of our dedicated team.
”Each monopile is the culmination of incredible feats of engineering, skill and experience and having the first of 197 monopiles safely installed is a landmark moment. Hornsea 3 will be the world’s single largest offshore wind farm and shows how Ørsted and the UK continue to be leaders in the offshore wind industry providing secure, renewable power for millions of people; investing billions into the transition to a clean power system and supporting jobs and opportunities in the supply chain for years to come.”