Hornsea 2 offshore wind farm from Ørsted A/ S - 1.3 GW feeding millions of UK homes

Reviewed: ad hoc news Bestseller & Flagship desk. Edited and checked on 2026-06-22, 23:11. Details in the imprint.

Hornsea 2 offshore wind farm looks almost unreal on a clear day, a forest of slim white turbines shimmering on the horizon of the North Sea. From the deck of a service vessel you hear only a low hum and the slap of waves against steel.

Scale that changes the coastline

Hornsea 2 from Ørsted A/S is a 1.3 GW offshore wind project located about 89 km off the Yorkshire coast, making it one of the world’s largest operating wind farms by installed capacity. Each of its 165 Siemens Gamesa turbines is rated at 8.0 MW. Ørsted’s project overview confirms the 1.3 GW and 165-turbine configuration.

According to Ørsted, Hornsea 2 can generate enough green electricity to power more than 1.4 million UK homes in a typical year, assuming average wind conditions. The project sits in the wider Hornsea Zone in the North Sea and connects into the UK grid at Killingholme in Lincolnshire.

How the power gets ashore

Project director Patrick Harnett describes Hornsea 2 as “a power station at sea” that has to work in storms, salt and constant motion. Three high-voltage export cables carry the electricity roughly 390 km to land, where it is transformed and fed into the onshore network. The official Hornsea 2 project page details the offshore and onshore cable route.

Step inside the offshore substation and you find a tidy maze of transformers, switchgear and control cabinets, more like a compact factory floor than a ship. Technicians monitor everything from a remote operations room onshore, watching live load and wind data on large, bright screens.

Construction milestones and partners

Hornsea 2 reached full commissioning in August 2022 after a multi-year build program that included turbine installation, cabling and grid integration. Ørsted developed the project with partners, but it now holds a majority stake and operates the wind farm day-to-day.

The turbines themselves are Siemens Gamesa 8.0-167 DD units with 167 m rotor diameters, each blade longer than many city-center streets. Standing below one of these blades in port during installation, riggers described the composite surface as “smooth as a surfboard and just as unforgiving” if you misjudge your step.

Revenue logic and UK support scheme

Hornsea 2 earns its money under the UK’s Contracts for Difference regime, with a strike price of around GBP 57.50 per MWh in 2012 prices for a 15-year term. That structure gives cash flow visibility as long as the wind blows and the turbines keep turning. The Low Carbon Contracts Company publishes the CfD details for Hornsea 2.

Beyond the contract period, the asset remains connected and can sell power at market prices, although long-term output will depend on maintenance and component replacements. Ørsted focuses heavily on predictive maintenance, using vibration and temperature data to plan repairs before faults escalate.

Operations, crews and logistics

Day-to-day operations rely on a mix of crew transfer vessels and, for some campaigns, service operation vessels that stay on site for weeks. Technicians often describe the trip out as a quiet commute, laptop bag in one hand, lifejacket in the other.

Once at the turbine, climbing the tower remains physical work. Narrow ladders, the smell of lubricants and the constant sway of the structure remind you that this is heavy industry at height. Safety protocols are strict, from harness checks to weather windows.

Where Hornsea 2 fits in Ørsted’s portfolio

Hornsea 2 is part of the Hornsea Zone, which also includes Hornsea 1 and the planned Hornsea 3 project, giving Ørsted a cluster effect in the North Sea. Sharing ports, vessels and maintenance teams can cut costs compared with running isolated farms.

For investors, Hornsea 2 sits alongside Ørsted’s other large offshore projects in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and the United States, forming a portfolio that blends mature, cash-generating assets with projects still under construction or awaiting final investment decisions.

Stock reference and investor view

Ørsted A/S, headquartered in Denmark, is listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen, where it is a key component of the local blue-chip index. The Ørsted A/S share price reflects expectations about offshore wind policy, project execution and power-price trends rather than performance of a single farm like Hornsea 2.

This article was AI-assisted and editorially reviewed. Product information without guarantee; prices and availability may change at short notice. No investment advice, no buy or sell recommendation. Stock-market transactions involve risks up to total loss.