Largest Civilian Drone Delivery Program Initiated at British Farms, as stated on our site

In a groundbreaking move, Ørsted, the world-renowned renewable energy company, has launched the largest drone delivery programme ever attempted for offshore wind farms. This programme, in collaboration with Skylift, marks a significant step forward in the maintenance and supply chain of offshore wind energy.

For the first time, drones have been used for a delivery programme of this magnitude, far offshore where turbines are up to 120 kilometres out at sea. The heavy-lift cargo drones, deployed by Ørsted, were first used at the Borssele 1&2 wind farm in the Netherlands, making it the first operational site for these kinds of drones after the concept was tested at the Hornsea One wind farm in the UK.

The Borssele 1&2 wind farm was also the site of the first operational campaign using heavy-lift cargo drones for maintenance work. This campaign aims to reduce the need for crane-lifting operations and the associated downtime for the turbines. Each drone delivery takes no technicians from their scheduled work and takes around 5 minutes, allowing for up to 30 deliveries a day.

The heavy-lift cargo drones are used to transport boxes of critical safety evacuation equipment, which weigh up to 70 kilogrammes. Delivery by drone means no lost power generation as the turbines can remain running. This is the first time that drones have been used to transport heavy loads to the top of wind turbines at a height of more than 100 metres.

Ørsted became the first company in the world to use giant autonomous drones for cargo transportation to wind turbines in a project with Skylift at Hornsea One. In 2023, they launched this project, marking the first time in the world for a company. Prior to this, Ørsted had been using smaller drones for inspections of the turbines but not on a large scale like this.

The programme includes over 550 flights to more than 400 turbines at four UK wind farms: Hornsea One and Hornsea Two on the east coast, and Walney 1 & 2 on the west coast. In 2022, Ørsted tested long-distance freight drone transportation of spare parts and tools at Anholt wind farm in Denmark with transport and logistics company DSV.

This drone delivery programme is the largest programme of drone offshore equipment deliveries that has ever been done outside the military, according to Ørsted. The programme is set to revolutionise the maintenance and supply chain of offshore wind farms, making them more efficient and sustainable.