Orsted's Story
Orsted has a vision to create a world that runs entirely on green energy. Once a fossil fuel-intensive company and today the most sustainable energy company in the world and global leader in offshore wind, we have transformed our business over the last decade to take real action against climate change.
We have projects across the globe but the UK is our biggest market and the Humber is home to 5 of their 13 operational UK offshore wind farms. Hornsea One and Two are operated from the Humber at the £14m state-of-the-art East Coast Hub in Grimsby and these projects have pushed the boundaries of offshore wind, once a niche small sector, now contributing significant renewable electricity to the UK. Hornsea One and Two are the largest offshore wind farms in the world. Hornsea One is already operational and providing power to over 1 million UK homes and Hornsea Two will become operational in 2022 and will provide clean, green power to over 1.3 million UK homes. These projects prove that offshore wind can provide power at scale and at comparable levels to conventional power stations that's good for the planet.
The East Coast Hub in Grimsby has had a huge positive impact on the town of Grimsby and the wider Humber region. The supply chain has flourished and is readily supporting the industry, from blades manufactured in Hull, to training delivered to upskill technicians, the cluster has supported the growth of the offshore wind industry and the multi-billion pounds of investment that has been attracted to the energy estuary since 2008. Over 400 people are based at the East Coast Hub in Grimsby, including 30 apprentices and there is more growth to come, in fact, the offshore wind sector is predicted to increase from 1,700 jobs today to over 10,000 by 2026.
We have had fantastic success in Grimsby and the Humber and there is more growth to come in the future as Hornsea Three and Four progress through their development stages. We will also continue on our mission to create a world that runs entirely on green energy, continually innovating as they have for the past decade and into the next as the East Coast Hub becomes a test bed for hydrogen projects to help support the decarbonisation of the Humber and the UK.
Useful Learnings from Orsted
Orsted was once one of the most coal-intensive energy companies in Europe. Today, we are the world's most sustainable energy company, and a global leader in the transition to green energy.
Our business transformation is a story of technological innovation, steep learning curves and difficult strategic choices that have led to long-term gains. We want to share what we've learnt, from our decision to move away from an unsustainable business model based on fossil fuels, to the action we took to build a truly green business – and the benefits and opportunities it's created for us.
Part of something much bigger - Our own green transformation took a decade. Our fundamental objective was to transform our business from one based on fossil fuels to one based on renewable energy, and to find a business model that is both environmentally and financially sustainable.
But our transformation is a small part of a much bigger transformation – one which is far from complete. If we as a global society, are going to reduce carbon emissions in line with the scientific advice, every country and every company needs to speed up action on climate change.
We hope that the story of our transformation will inspire other companies and countries to take the steps necessary to limit the temperature increases that are causing climate change, and having detrimental effects on our global ecosystems. As our story shows, green transformation is possible. And it comes with huge opportunities for businesses, economies and local communities.
Let's work together to create a world that runs entirely on green energy.
Orsted's Metrics
Number of UK homes powered by offshore wind (over 2 million).
Amount of green electricity produced (2.4 GW).
Number of jobs created (over 400).
Amount of investment (over £13 billion by the end of 2021).
