Ørsted ‘First’ to Use Giant Autonomous Drones to Transport Cargo to Wind Turbines

October 30, 2023, by Adnan Memija

Ørsted has become “the first offshore wind company in the world” to use giant autonomous drones to transport cargo to wind turbines.

The Danish offshore wind giant is testing the drones to transport cargo from vessels to its 1.2 GW Hornsea One project in the UK.

Building on its previous experience using smaller drones in other countries, the company is now trialling the 58-kilogram drones with a wingspan of 2.6 metres to transport cargo of up to 68 kilograms.

The drones are operated from existing crew transfer vessels (CVTs) and service operating vessels (SOVs) which are already on site, said Ørsted.

The use of these drones to deliver equipment to Ørsted’s Hornsea One will reduce costs and time as well as improve operational safety and efficiency, the developer said.

According to Ørsted, drones mean less work disturbance as turbines don’t have to be shut down when cargo is delivered.

The company also said the machines avoid risk, making it safer for personnel working on the wind farm and minimise the need for multiple journeys by ship, reducing carbon emissions and climate change impacts.

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Last year, Ørsted teamed up with DSV to carry out tests with the transport of spare parts and tools using long-distance freight drones at Anholt wind farm in the Kattegat offshore Denmark.

The tests were carried out with an electrically powered drone that had a range of 100 kilometres and a load capacity of 2.5 kilograms.