Hornsea 3: World’s largest offshore wind scheme off Yorkshire coast ‘progressing according to schedule’
A Danish firm currently constructing the world’s largest offshore wind farm 160km off the Yorkshire coast said it had produced more renewable energy in the first half of 2026 than ever before, as the company said its £8.5bn east coast scheme was “progressing according to schedule”.
Energy giant Ørsted is currently in the construction phase of the Hornsea 3 wind farm, a 2.9 GW scheme which the firm says will produce enough energy to power over 3.3 million homes.
The scheme is a sister project to the Hornsea 1 and 2 schemes, which also are also located off the East Yorkshire coast.
In an interim report issued to the London Stock Exchange, Ørsted said the Hornsea 3 scheme was currently progressing as planned.
The company said: “Ørsted made significant progress on the construction portfolio, where all projects, including construction of the world’s largest offshore wind farm, Hornsea 3 in the UK, are progressing according to schedule and within planned costs.”
The Hornsea 3 scheme is scheduled for completion in 2027, with Hornsea 1 and 2 having become operational in 2019 and 2022.
Ørsted has said the Hornsea 3 scheme will deliver up to £8.5bn to the local, national and global economy.
Ørsted is also behind the stalled Hornsea 4 windfarm scheme. In May last year, the firm announced that it would discontinue its Hornsea 4 project “in its current form”, adding that it would “evaluate options for future development” of the scheme.
The company at the time cited “several adverse developments” amongst the reasons for its decision, including increasing supply chain costs and higher interest rates.
The firm’s website currently states that its development of the Hornsea Zone “may also include the Hornsea 4”, adding: “Ørsted is evaluating options for future development of Hornsea 4 which would be located approximately 69 km off the Yorkshire coast.”
The latest update on the windfarm cluster came as Ørsted also broke its record for the amount of renewable energy produced in a six month period.
Rasmus Errboe, group president and CEO of Ørsted, said: “I’m pleased with our strategic progress in the first half of the year. Our renewable assets have produced more renewable energy in the first half of 2026 than ever before, and we remain on track to deliver on our financial guidance for the year.
“With the measures we’ve taken during the last 18 months, we have the necessary robustness to pursue new, value-creating opportunities within offshore wind.
“It continues to be a key priority for us to deliver on our construction portfolio, and we’re very pleased with the milestones we’ve reached this past quarter. We continue to progress according to schedule and within planned costs across all projects.”
The statement came alongside the firm’s results for the six months to 30 June.
The company posted net profit for the first half of the year of DKK 3.3bn (£0.38bn), compared with DKK 8.2bn (0.94bn) last year. It said this was mainly due to divestment gains last year and higher tax and non-cash impairment losses this year.
Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation excluding new partnerships and cancellation fees for the first half of 2026 landed at DKK 15bn (£1.71bn), eight per cent higher than in the same period last year.