Ørsted has given contracts to Hitachi Energy of Switzerland and Aibel of Norway to connect the 2.85GW Hornsea 3 offshore wind project to the UK power grid. Hitachi Energy will supply two high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) light converter systems to enable power transmission from the Hornsea 3 project, which will be located more than 120 kilometres off the east coast of the UK. Aibel will be in charge of the engineering, procurement, construction, and installation of two HVDC converter platforms.
The contracts are subject to the Hornsea 3 project’s final investment decision, which is due by the end of 2022. Aibel intends to construct platform topsides for the Hornsea 3 project at its Thai yard. Following that, the platform topsides will be transported to Haugesund, Norway, to be equipped with Hitachi Energy’s advanced HVDC converter valve technology before final completion and commissioning. Aibel expects to deliver the topside platform for the Hornsea 3 Link 1 in Haugesund in the first quarter of 2025.
In June 2022, Hitachi Energy and Petrofac joined forces to provide grid integration and associated infrastructure services for the offshore wind sector. The two companies would provide services to the market, with an emphasis on HVDC and high-voltage alternating current (HVAC) solutions.
