The monopiles, the first of a total of 197, produced for Hornsea 3, the world’s single largest offshore wind farm, each weigh an average of 1,670 tonnes and 90m in length. Each one is the equivalent weight to nine of the heaviest blue whales and the length of around three of the longest. Their diameter at the top is 8m and at the bottom it can be up to 11m.
They travelled to the UK on Biglift’s CY Interocean II and the load out and load in were completed by the Cadeler team, working closely with experts from Ørsted and Haizea in Spain and Ørsted and Steel River Quay, Teesworks in the UK.
Luke Bridgman, Managing Director of Hornsea 3, said: “ 2026 is the year we begin offshore works on Hornsea 3 in earnest and the arrival of these first monopiles marks a key milestone in that process. Working closely with expert partners is how we’ll make Hornsea 3 a success and we’re confident that we have the best possible team in place to make that happen.”
Borja Zarraga, CEO of Haizea Wind Group, said: “Delivering the first monopiles for this project is a milestone for Haizea Bilbao. The expansion of our facilities was born from the trust Ørsted placed in us, and being part of Hornsea 3 allows us to demonstrate our technical capabilities and our commitment as an expert partner in large-scale offshore projects.”
Mikkel Gleerup, CEO of Cadeler, said: “The delivery of the first set of monopiles for Hornsea 3 marks an important step in Cadeler’s development as a full-scope offshore wind partner. This milestone has been enabled by the investments that Cadeler has made in specialised foundation expertise and vessels specifically engineered for extra-large monopile foundation transportation and installation. With three vessels committed to the Hornsea 3 campaign, including our brand new A-class vessel, Wind Ally, Cadeler is ready to execute this project safely and efficiently. Our collaboration with Ørsted continues a strong partnership built over many years, and we are proud to support the realisation of what will become the world’s largest offshore wind farm.”
Ally Cameron, Managing Director at Steel River Quay, located at Teesworks said: “Welcoming the first Hornsea 3 monopiles into Teesside is a proud moment for both the project and for Steel River Quay. Our state-of-the-art facilities have been purpose-built to handle components of this scale, and it’s fantastic to see the site now playing a central role in delivering what will become the world’s largest offshore wind farm. This arrival underlines the strength of the partnerships forming here on the Tees and highlights how our region is helping drive the UK’s clean energy transition while creating long-term industrial opportunity and skilled jobs locally.”
ends
For more information, images or to arrange an interview please contact:
Sarah Brown
External Communications Lead, Hornsea 3 at Ørsted
SARBR@orsted.com
+44 7443 154180
Notes to Editors:
Blue whale weight and length = 180 tonnes and 29 metres.Source: Natural History Museum
About Ørsted
The Ørsted vision is a world that runs entirely on green energy. Ørsted develops, constructs and operates offshore and onshore wind farms, solar farms, energy storage facilities, and bioenergy plants, and provides energy products to its customers. Globally, Ørsted is the market leader in offshore wind and it is constructing the world’s biggest offshore wind farms off the UK’s East Coast. Ørsted is recognised on the CDP Climate Change A-List as a global leader on climate action and was the first energy company in the world to have its science-based net-zero emissions target validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Headquartered in Denmark, Ørsted employs approx. 8,000 people, including over 1,100 in the UK. Visit orsted.co.uk or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.
About Hornsea 3
Ørsted has a vision to create a world that runs entirely on green energy. In the East of England, our vision is becoming reality in the form of our Hornsea 3 Offshore Wind Farm to be located 120 km off the coast of Norfolk and currently under construction.
As part of the region’s large and growing offshore wind energy sector, Hornsea 3, an £8.5 billion infrastructure project, will deliver enough green energy to power more than 3 million UK homes. It will make a significant contribution toward UK energy security, as well the local and national economy.
About Haizea Wind Group
Haizea Wind Group is an industrial company specialised in the manufacturing of large steel structures for the wind energy sector. In offshore wind, the company produces tubular components such as monopiles and towers, as well as casted products, with Haizea Bilbao, its flagship facility for XXL monopiles, serving as a state-of-the-art site and a European benchmark for the manufacturing of advanced wind industry products. Founded in 2017, Haizea Wind Group employs over 1,500 people across six factories, delivering high-quality components that drive reliable, efficient, and large-scale renewable electricity generation across the globe.
About Cadeler
Cadeler A/S (Cadeler) is a global leader in offshore wind installation, operations, and maintenance services. Cadeler is a pure play company, operating solely in the offshore wind industry with an uncompromising focus on safety and the environment. Cadeler owns and operates the industry’s largest fleet of jack-up offshore wind installation vessels and has for more than 10 years been a key supplier in the development of offshore wind energy to power millions of households. Cadeler is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker: CDLR) and the Oslo Stock Exchange (ticker: CADLR). For more information, please visit www.cadeler.com.
About Teesworks
Covering 4,500 acres on the banks of the River Tees in the North East of England, Teesworks is Europe’s largest brownfield site, home to diverse, sustainable and low-carbon activity.
Teesworks is within the UK’s largest Freeport and has been set up to promote the economic growth and commercial development of the Tees Valley by converting assets in the South Tees area into opportunities for business investment and economic growth.
The Teesworks area is in the Borough of Redcar and Cleveland and includes the former SSI steelworks site as well as other industrial assets. The area benefits from river access and includes the deep-water port of Teesport, England’s largest exporting port.