The Largest Offshore Wind Farms In The World

The possibility of using renewable energy from wind to generate electricity is becoming increasingly viable and popular, as the technology used to harness this form of energy continues to advance. The world’s largest offshore wind farms are being constructed in countries located around the globe, providing clean power and saving huge amounts of carbon emissions. In this article, we will look at five of the world’s largest offshore wind farms and why they are making such a huge impact on the energy industry.

Statistical Overview 

Before digging into each of these giant offshore wind farms, it’s important to put into context the sheer size and scale of these projects. Wind Europe, an organization advocating for wind energy, had provided the following statistics to highlight how much larger the newest wind farms are in comparison to those built just 10 years ago.

• The world’s largest offshore wind farm in 2020 is Walney Extension (607 MW) which was built in the UK
• The world’s second biggest wind farm is Hornsea One (1,218 MW) in the UK
• The average size of offshore wind farms installed between 2000 and 2010 was approximately 180 MW.
• The average size of offshore wind farms installed between 2010 and 2020 was approximately 500 MW.

In light of this information, it is apparent that the industry has seen a huge influx of investment, resulting in much larger wind farms.

Largest Offshore Wind Farms

1. Dogger Bank (UK): Dogger Bank is a massive wind farm project located in the North Sea, off of the east coast of England, with a total capacity of over 4 GW making it the largest offshore wind farm in the world when completed in 2026. It will be operated by a joint venture owned by two Dutch energy companies, Simec Atlantis Energy and Equinor, with the project estimated to cost up to €6 billion.

2. Hornsea Two (UK): Hornsea Two is another huge wind farm project located in the North Sea, off of the east coast of England. The wind farm has a total capacity of 1.4 GW, with the project estimated to cost €4 billion and scheduled to be completed in 2022. It will be operated by the Orsted, a Danish energy company.

3. Typhoon (Japan): Typhoon is a major offshore wind farm project located in the Seto Inland Sea, offshore from the island of Kyushi, Japan. It has a total capacity of 1,262 MW and is the largest rotationally shaped offshore wind farm in the world. It is owned and operated by the Sumitomo Corporation, with construction beginning in 2016, and is scheduled to be completed in 2022. The cost of the project is estimated at ¥600 billion.

4. SEGATS (Japan): SEGATS is an offshore wind farm project located in the Seto Inland Sea, off the coast of Toyama, Japan. It has a total capacity of 1,090 MW and is the largest operational off shore wind farm in Japan. It is owned and operated by Marubeni Corporation, with construction beginning in 2013, and is scheduled to be completed in 2024. The cost of the project is estimated at ¥540 billion.

5. Greater Changhua (Taiwan): Greater Changhua is an offshore wind farm project located in the Taiwan Strait, off of the coast of Changhua County, Taiwan. It has a total capacity of 1.05 GW, and is the largest offshore wind farm in Taiwan. It is owned and operated by Danish energy company, Ørsted, with construction beginning in 2016 and is scheduled to be completed in 2024. The cost of the project is estimated at NT$110 billion.

The construction of these gargantuan offshore wind farms indicates a strong commitment to renewable energy from countries around the world, and shows the entire energy industry that these environmentally friendly sources of power are indeed viable options. As the technology used to build, power and maintain these structures continues to advance, more offshore wind farms can be expected to crop up in the coming years, greatly improving the eco-friendliness of many countries’ energy portfolios and helping to actively combat global climate change.