Orsted’s lead UK executive has spelled out what is required to meet the accelerated targets for offshore wind development, with the Humber at the fore.
Duncan Clark gave the keynote speech at Offshore Wind Connections 2022, using it to respond to the ramping up in capacity expectations from where the country stands now.
Underlining the need to be sustainable, secure and tolerable on cost, he said the current status wasn’t quite on track but held up the pace-setting build in the region as the “reason it can be achievable”.
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Targets have increased from 30GW to 50GW by 2030 through the pandemic period as energy security and net zero comes to the fore.
The market leading Danish multi-national has invested £14 billion to make the UK its number one market. More than 500 of its 1,300 UK employees are based in Grimsby, where the £14 million East Coast Hub is a beacon for what is being achieved.
He said: “It is from that base that we operate and maintain the cluster of the world’s largest and most modern offshore wind farms. It includes Hornsea One, built in 2020, the only one bigger than gigawatt scale, the world leader, and an example when people are talking about pace and scale and cost that is tolerable - that offshore wind can meet that mark.
“This year we will be celebrating Hornsea Two’s completion, at 10 per cent bigger, it will take that record for a few years and we know there is a whole pipeline of projects coming through the system.
“From Orsted’s point of view we’ve got Hornsea Three fully consented and qualified to compete in the imminent government auction, and we see that moving straight into construction. We have Hornsea Four coming through the public examination phase of the planning consent and we intend that to follow in convoy. Both are double or more the size of Hornsea Two.
“You can see how this scaling up gives me optimism that we can get after this, and while not on track initially, up to this point, we can get on track. The pipeline is concentrated here, a decade of build out at a pace we have not matched before. We are investing billions of pounds in infrastructure, and that’s just us.
“This 8GW will take us to 20GW and there is another 20GW at various stages, ready to compete. We see our way to a 40GW target by 2030.
“This is the mission in front of us here.”
OWC22 heard how port expansion is also being actively explained, with ABP and Siemens Gamesa updating.
