Ørsted, Neptune, and Goal7 to Power Integrated Energy Hubs With Offshore Wind
Neptune Energy, Ørsted, and Goal7 have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to assess the viability of powering integrated energy hubs with energy generated by offshore wind farms.
Energy company, Ørsted, focuses on developing, building, and operating offshore wind farms in UK waters. Once a fossil-fuel-intensive company, the now sustainability-focused company endeavors to provide economy-boosting renewable energy solutions to UK businesses to help transform coastal communities. Oil and gas company Neptune Energy Group Limited (Neptune) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Ørsted and Goal7.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal for Clean and Affordable Energy, Goal7, aims to support greenhouse gas (GHG) emitting companies in their journey toward clean energy-based operations. Together, Goal7, Neptune, and Ørsted will assess the potential to use renewable energy generated at Ørsted’s Hornsea offshore wind farms to fuel hubs run by Neptune in the UK North sea area.
Offshore wind farm. Image used courtesy of Ørsted
Regeneration With Offshore Wind
The seaside town of Hornsea lies just above the River Humber estuary. The estuary borders the North Sea and contains three major ports in Grimsby, Hull, and Immingham. Across from the estuary stands Ørsted’s operational Hornsea 1 and 2 offshore wind farm projects, as well as the yet-to-be-completed Hornsea 3 and 4 projects.
A map depicting the location of the Hornsea 1 wind farm site. Image used courtesy of Ørsted
Hornsea 1 is an example of how Ørsted uses offshore wind farm energy generation to strengthen the UK supply chain, improve local community infrastructure, and increase job opportunities in the renewable energy sector.
Ørsted has injected £45 million into local communities within the Humber region, focusing on skills development and education. Working alongside the charity OnSide, Ørsted donated £1 million to Grimsby’s Horizon Youth Zone to support 8 to 25-year-olds with additional needs. The youth zone environment might encourage a future generation geared toward tackling climate change by pursuing job opportunities in the offshore wind industry.
Hornsea 1 lies 120 kilometers (km) off the coast of the Humber region in the North Sea. With a 1.2 gigawatt (GW) capacity, Hornsea 1 was heralded as the world’s largest wind farm before its sister project, Hornsea 2, took center stage. Hornsea 1 has 174 wind turbines, and each 7-megawatt (MW) turbine stands at a height of 190 meters (m).
Ørsted owns 50 percent of the Hornsea 1 wind farm, while Global Infrastructure Partners owns the remaining 50 percent.
Integrated Energy Hubs
Integrated energy hubs can bring together carbon capture facilities, oil and gas production facilities, and hydrogen production. Neptune aims to reduce emissions from its operations and store much more carbon.
Renewable energy sourced from the Hornsea projects to help run Neptune-operated integrated energy hubs could encourage more sustainable carbon capture and energy generation as the UK moves towards a low-carbon future.
