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The Hornsea 3 Offshore Wind Farm is currently one of the largest civil engineering projects in the world.
It will take thousands of people with a vast array of skills working together to deliver the £8.5 billion infrastructure project that will generate enough green energy to power more than three million UK homes.
Hornsea 3’s senior project director Jason Ledden and project director Jessica Westcott are the most senior leaders responsible for the project’s delivery, supporting managing director Luke Bridgman.
Their different paths demonstrate the varying routes to success in the offshore wind industry.
‘Be curious!’
Jason’s 30-year career prepared him for his current role delivering the onshore and offshore construction of Hornsea 3 – and it all started underwater. A welder by training, Jason qualified as a commercial diver at 24 years old after serving in the Royal Marines. That was his springboard into offshore construction – initially for the oil and gas industry.
He worked all over the world specialising in subsea construction, including saturation diving at extreme depths of up to 200 metres.
Jason said that the vital skills he honed through commercial diving – attention to detail, safety, planning and preparation – have been critical to his success in offshore wind.
His advice for people looking into careers in offshore wind?
“Be curious! People look at the industry and think mainly about the construction and the maintenance activities offshore. But there is a diverse range of skills that are important to successfully delivering offshore wind,” he said.
“From finance, legal and procurement to engineering and planning, if our vision of a ‘world that runs entirely on green energy’ speaks to you, you will definitely have something to contribute and have a meaningful career.”
A diversity of engineering disciplines
Jessica is responsible for Hornsea 3’s permitting, site investigation, wind farm concept and configuration teams, as well as systems design and performance.
She did her undergraduate degree in geology and oceanography and her master’s degree in coastal engineering at the University of Southampton.
“When I discovered that I could dedicate my career to exploring and protecting this world through renewable energy, nothing would stop me,” Jessica said.
Working across a range of offshore engineering and construction disciplines on complex mega-projects over 16 years prepared Jessica her multidisciplinary role.
“The diversity of my experiences has refined my ability to navigate complexities, and change, whilst maintaining focus on the unique demands of offshore wind projects,” she said.
Her favourite thing about the industry is how it ties together so many different disciplines in the fight against climate change.
“Every kind of expertise you can possibly think up – it exists in the offshore wind industry,” said Jessica. “It’s incredible to be around some of the brightest minds in the world.”
For more information, visit hornseaproject3.co.uk
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