DONG Energy is starting consultation as part of the planning process for the Hornsea Project Three offshore wind farm, which has a maximum capacity of 2.4 GW.
Hornsea Project Three is now seeking to enter the planning process, with a consent application expected to be submitted in 2018. If this is successful, construction of the offshore wind farm is anticipated to take place between 2022 and 2025.
Hornsea Project Three is located approximately 120 kilometres from the Yorkshire coast and is within the previous Hornsea zone boundary. The Hornsea zone has now been split into four areas allocated for offshore wind farm development: Hornsea Project One, Hornsea Project Two, Hornsea Project Three and Hornsea Project Four.
Hornsea Project Three is located to the east of Hornsea Project One and Hornsea Project Two, and spans an area of approximately 696 square kilometres.
If built out to full capacity, Hornsea Project Three would be the world’s largest offshore wind farm, capable of powering over 2 million UK homes, DONG said.
DONG has recently taken a final investment decision to build the 1.2 GW Hornsea Project One, expected to become operational in 2020.
Hornsea Project Two has recently finished the examination phase of the application for a consent, and awaits a decision from the Secretary of State in June 2016.
“Hornsea Project Three is a huge infrastructure project which, if built out to full capacity, would be the world’s largest offshore wind farm and potentially twice the size of Hornsea Project One,” Brent Cheshire, DONG Energy UK’s Country Chairman, said.
“Moving forward with consultation for Hornsea Project Three really underlines our commitment to the UK offshore wind industry. We have already invested around £5 billion in the UK on offshore wind and we have a number of important future projects under construction and in our pipeline.”