33 Dogger Bank Wind Farm

For helping the United Kingdom step toward a carbon-neutral future

The U.K. government passed legislation last year committing to net zero carbon emissions by 2050. But hitting that big, bold target will require equally ambitious projects—epitomized by the creation of the world’s largest offshore wind farm, in the North Sea near Yorkshire, England.

A US$10 billion joint initiative between Equinor and SSE Renewables, the 3.6-gigawatt Dogger Bank Wind Farm, which began construction in January near the coastal village of Ulrome, will generate enough clean energy to power 5 percent of the U.K.’s electricity demand—or 4.5 million homes.

The project, slated to begin drawing power by 2023, will rely on a futuristic fleet of 600 turbines, said to be the biggest and most powerful in the world. Developed by GE Renewable Energy and named one of Time magazine’s Best Inventions of 2019, each 12-megawatt Haliade-X turbine towers 260 meters (853 feet) high and is specially designed to maximize the energy potential of the region’s strong and constant winds. One turbine alone can generate electricity for up to 16,000 households.