Horns Rev 2 offshore wind farm hits 10 TWh production mark

Horns Rev 2 has produced 10 billion kWh of electricity since its commissioning in 2009. The 209 MW Danish offshore wind farm reached the milestone on 4 February.

Located in the North Sea some 30 kilometres off the Danish west coast, Ørsted’s wind farm was expected to supply clean energy corresponding to the annual power consumption of 200,000 Danish households. However, it has exceeded all expectations, according to Allan Due Overbeck, Head of Operations at Horns Rev 2.

“Since 2009, the total power generated by Horns Rev 2 corresponds to the annual power consumption of more than 3 million Danish households. Technically, this means that over an 11-year period, Horns Rev 2 can document an exceptionally high capacity factor of approx. 50 %. This shows that the North Sea holds fantastic wind power potential and, given its size, is the perfect location for offshore wind farms”, Allan Due Overbeck said.

The offshore wind farm produces most electricity in the cold and windy winter months when electricity consumption in Denmark is also at its highest. However, the wind conditions in the North Sea vary greatly from month to month. The current production record was achieved in January 2014 with 135,399,000 kWh, while production during a normal winter month is approx. 90,000,000 kWh, according to Ørsted.

When it was officially put into operation eleven years ago, Horns Rev 2 was the world’s largest offshore wind farm and the first to be located so far offshore. Also, it was the first time in history that an accommodation platform was installed in connection with an offshore wind farm.

“From the very start, we’ve had to develop new ways of working and organising the service and maintenance tasks as the wind farm is located about one and a half hours away by boat from the harbour in Esbjerg. Our dedicated and skilled employees help to ensure that we can always maintain a high level of availability, while maintaining high safety standards”, Allan Due Overbeck said.