Frequently asked questions

We need to lay onshore export cables to connect the green energy generated offshore by the wind farm to the National Grid’s main substation in Norwich. Without the onshore cables, the renewable energy generated offshore could never reach homes or businesses. 

 Before deciding on our cabling route, we undertook a route planning exercise that included extensive consultation which considered technical, engineering, and environmental aspects. 

As a result of that consultation, we determined the 51 km underground cable route from Weybourne to Norwich.  

Read the full Hornsea 3 FAQ document here

We’re laying the cabling that will bring energy onshore from our offshore wind farm once it’s built. That requires 51 km of cables to be buried underground onshore. We have agreements in place with landowners on how and where we work. Once cables have been laid, we’ll make good all construction sites and carefully restore the land to how it was before. 

We work hard on the preservation and control of the topsoil during the construction process to ensure that once works have finished, we’re able to restore the land to how it was before. After we’ve dug the trenches and buried cables, we put them back neatly with the original material and topsoil. We replant vegetation and restore everything to the way we found it, working in cooperation with the landowner. This is called reinstatement. 

We’ve begun to build the onshore part of Hornsea 3.  We are currently laying the cables that will bring the energy generated offshore by Hornsea 3 and connect it to our onshore electricity substation in Swardeston, near Norwich, Norfolk.  

From there, the energy will be connected to the National Grid so it can be distributed to millions of homes across the UK. So far, we’ve laid about 6 km of cable out of a total of 51 km, so we’re still in the early stages. 

We’ve also been doing some work on our onshore substation including landscaping. And we’re preparing the land for the battery energy storage system.  

As this is such a large national infrastructure project, traffic, and deliveries to and from the sites are unavoidable. But we’ve been working closely with local authorities and residents to give advance notice of works taking place to help minimise disruption.

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Norfolk is becoming a key hub for green energy, which will bring long-term investment and jobs to the region. We’ve launched our Hornsea 3 Community Benefit Fund which commits £7 million (£700,000 every year for the next ten years) to projects developed by, and for the benefit of, the local community in the North Norfolk and East Anglia region. We are committed to making a positive impact in the communities where we construct and operate our offshore wind farms.   

Learn more about our Hornsea 3 Community Benefit fund 

We have committed to restoring the land temporarily used for the construction of the Hornsea 3 project to its original condition after our work is complete. (See previous question).  

Along the cable route we have installed access points for our construction vehicles. These will be removed and restored to their original state in cooperation with the landowner.  

Once we have removed the access points, we will replant all of the native hedgerows, shrubs, and trees typical of the local area so the land will appear as it did before construction started.  

In some instances, the landowner may wish to keep the access point. In which case, additional planning permission and the appropriate consents will be required. 

We have put the following mitigation measures in place to protect chalk rivers: 

• Attenuation trenches: These trenches temporarily collect and store surface water which is then released into existing watercourses over time in a controlled manner.   
• Silt fence netting: Is installed within our construction sites to trap silt and surface water run-off.   
• Straw bales: Act as barriers to hold back and filter surface water and/or silt runoff.   

 The above mitigation measures have been put in place to manage and control surface water/silt run off from our construction site before it enters the water environment. These mitigation measures act as a filter and or mechanism to control and slow the flow of surface water/silt run off. 

We continuously monitor the project’s working site and regularly review the current and forecasted rainfall levels to ensure that the implemented mitigation measures remain effective. Whenever there are periods of heavy rainfall the installed mitigation measures are reviewed by our soil and drainage experts.  

A long-term plan has been developed and shared with the Environment Agency and Lead Local Flood Authority to ensure alignment and agreement on future monitoring and mitigation measures to manage our working site appropriately. 

A Construction Traffic Management Plan is in place for all of the transportation associated with the Hornsea 3 project. This is intended to minimise any potential adverse impacts associated with the transport of materials and staff. 

All our construction traffic must follow the approved routes coming to and from our sites. All our contractors are given dedicated route maps and there is physical signposting on the roads. 

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You can find all the latest construction updates on our website.  We post monthly updates on the progress of our construction, public briefing packs and Advance Work Notices.  

You can also receive more information right in your inbox with our quarterly newsletters. Sign up for the newsletter by emailing us at community@hornsea3.co.uk. 

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