The 165 wind turbines of Hornsea 2, the world’s largest offshore wind farm, have been protected by coatings supplied by AkzoNobel.
AkzoNobel has supplied its coatings to protect against the highly corrosive environment of the North Sea, the 165 8MW turbines of Hornsea 2, the world’s largest offshore wind farm located around 89 kilometres off the east coast of England and due to be up and running by mid-2022. Hornsea 2 will have the capacity to produce more than 1.3 gigawatts of energy – enough to power over 1.3 million homes.
Offshore wind farms are particularly susceptible to atmospheric corrosion, due to the high humidity and chloride content in the air. The splash zone of each wind turbine – which is intermittently wet and dry due to tides and waves – is the most prone to corrosion.
The foundations of all the turbines have been coated with Interzone 954 from AkzoNobel’s International brand, a two component, low VOC, high solids, modified epoxy barrier coat designed to give long term protection in a single coat application and to continue to cure when immersed in water.
“It’s fantastic to be involved in such an ambitious project with this kind of size and scale,” says Simon Parker, Director of AkzoNobel’s Marine and Protective Coatings business. “As the world moves to a greener and more sustainable future, it’s essential that vital infrastructure isn’t just fit for purpose, but is equipped for the long term as well. That’s where Interzone 954 plays such a vital role. It’s one of the industry’s most trusted products for protecting structures operating in the harshest environments. It has more than 30 years of proven performance and has now protected over 2,000 offshore wind assets worldwide.”
Interzone 954 provides barrier protection, abrasion resistance and high film build. It’s also resistant to a wide range of chemicals.
The Hornsea 2 project follows on from the successful 2021 completion of Hornsea 1 – previous holder of the world’s biggest offshore wind farm title- which 174 7MW turbines have also been coated by AkzoNobel.