The wind farm will be served by developer Ørsted’s Grimsby baseFirst monopile installed at the Hornsea 3 wind farm
The first of nearly 200 massive foundations for the turbines that will make up the world’s single largest offshore wind farm have been positioned off the East Yorkshire coast. Work has started to drive the monopiles into the sea bed for the Hornsea 3 Offshore Wind Farm, which will be managed from Grimsby.
Teams have been at the site of the £8.5bn project, which lies about 160km off the East Yorkshire coast. The first of 197 monopiles has now been installed on the sea bed.
It is the latest phase of Hornsea 3’s construction programme following the building of an 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 being used for Hornsea 3 are are the largest used by Ørsted on any of its European wind farms to date.
They weigh and average of 1,670 tonnes – equivalent to the weight of nine of the heaviest blue whales – and are 90m in length. Installation of the remaining monopiles will continue this year and into next.
Ørsted is working with installation company Cadeler and its ‘Wind Ally’ vessel which was designed to carry XXL monopiles. The firm’s Wind Orca vessel will be used to install secondary steel.
The monopiles ready to be installed at the Hornsea 3 site.(Image: Ørsted)
Overall a team of more than 200 from Ørsted, Cadeler and contractor Menck are working on the project. Recruitment for wind turbine technicians is already under way, with many set to be based out of Ørsted’s Royal Dock, Grimsby hub.
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.”
The monopiles are pile-driven into the sea bed.(Image: Ørsted)
As part of the broader Hornsea 3 installation works, Cadeler will use three of its own specialist offshore wind installation vessels.
Bradley Scott, project director at Cadeler, said: “This milestone is not just about the first structure in the ground – it represents an important step as we continue expanding into full-scope foundation transport and installation. Delivering projects at this scale requires close collaboration, detailed planning, and strong execution across every phase of the operation.
“We are proud to support Ørsted on Hornsea 3 and grateful to all teams offshore and onshore whose commitment and collaboration have contributed to reaching this point safely and successfully.”
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