PALFINGER supplies lifting solutions to Hornsea Two offshore wind farm



In the British North Sea, the world’s largest offshore wind farm to date, “Hornsea One”, is being followed by another project setting a new benchmark: “Hornsea Two”. PALFINGER ensures safe and smooth lifting operations at the heart of green power generation. 

Salzburg, Austria on March 29, 2021

Off the coast of Yorkshire is the world’s largest offshore wind farm: Hornsea One. PALFINGER was able to supply a total of 14 cranes to this project. Now, with Hornsea Two, another wind farm of superlative dimensions is taking shape, and PALFINGER is again involved in its implementation. A total of 165 turbines will be installed in an area of 462 km² in the North Sea. Together, with a capacity of 1.4 GW, they will supply more than 1.3 million British households with green energy. The heart of this installation is the offshore substation (OSS). 

A transformer substation on the high seas
These offshore substations collect the power from the wind turbines, stabilize and maximize the voltage of the power generated, and transmit the electricity to shore with as little loss as possible. Halfway to the coastline 120 kilometers away is the reactive compensation station (RCS), which allows transmission over much longer cables using high-voltage alternating current. PALFINGER will equip the OSS with one telescopic crane (DKT400), two davit cranes (PF17000) and the RCS with one stiff-boom crane (PSM400) and two davit cranes (PF17000). Both substations are constructed by Sembcorp Marine’s wholly owned subsidiary, Sembcorp Marine Offshore Platforms. The cranes will be used to safely load and unload cargo between CTVs (Crew transfer vessels) and the decks of the substations, even in the most adverse conditions (for which the North Sea is well-known).

A global contract based in Singapore
PALFINGER Singapore is also involved in this project, having received the order from Singapore-based Sembcorp Marine to install the telescopic, stiff boom and davit cranes. PALFINGER Singapore’s involvement ensures language and geographical barriers are resolved while providing local expertise in terms of the legal framework and after-sales requirements in the region. Alexander Lee, Area Sales Manager in Singapore, plays a vital part in this global contract. “We are working closely with our long-term business partner, Sembcorp Marine Offshore Platforms, and are coordinating the sophisticated requirements with our design engineers in Austria and Norway. The Sembcorp Marine team we are working with is particularly professional in terms of project implementation. Resources that are in short supply need to be utilized in the best possible way to ensure a flawless project outcome. That can happen only when everybody involved works together efficiently,” emphasizes Alexander Lee. 

“The office in Singapore handles Sales and After-Sales tasks, and the project execution is handled by the project management teams in Austria and Norway,” Alexander Lee adds, “That works great. At PALFINGER, we are always challenging each other to find even better solutions.”

Picture: ©Ørsted