Ørsted and Korean fabricator SeAH Wind have discontinued foundation fabrication for the 2.9GW Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm at SeAH’s £900m Teesside factory in the UK.
SeAH Wind is understood to have encountered ramp-up challenges at the facility after announcing last summer it had cut first steel on what was the plant’s maiden order for an undisclosed portion of the project’s 197 foundations.
The project’s other confirmed foundations supplier, Spanish manufacturer Haizea Wind, has been producing bases at its Bilbao facility since last summer, with the first batch arriving in the UK earlier this week.
Ørsted, which owns the wind farm alongside global asset manager Apollo Global Management, has also placed Hornsea 3 foundation work with suppliers including Dajin Heavy Industry in China and German groups EEW Group and Steelwind Nordenham.
The companies said the Hornsea 3 schedule — which includes Cadeler beginning foundation installation shortly and full completion by the end of 2027 — “remains protected and uncompromised” despite the fabrication change.
A joint statement said discontinuing the work allows SeAH Wind “to focus on the safe and reliable delivery of its secured order backlog through to 2027, while continuing to progress a strong pipeline of opportunities beyond that period”.
The statement added that the move “underlines confidence in SeAH Wind’s technical capability, manufacturing scale, and long-term role in the UK and European offshore wind supply chain”.
The Teesside factory is expected to manufacture monopiles for RWE’s AR7-winning Norfolk Vanguard project.
A SeAH Wind spokesperson said the company “remains fully committed to establishing a best-in-class UK manufacturing facility and to supporting the delivery of offshore wind projects at scale as the market continues to grow.”
