Ofgem, the energy regulator for Great Britain, will launch a tender for the energy transmission infrastructure of the Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm on October 21. This wind farm, with a capacity of 2.9 gigawatts, is owned by Ørsted, and rumors suggest that the value of this tender is around £3.5 billion (approximately €4 billion), making it the largest ownership tender for offshore transmission infrastructure (OFTO) to date.
Tender Details and Infrastructure
This competitive process aims to find an owner for the marine energy transmission infrastructure of this project, which transfers the electricity generated by the wind farm to the onshore grid. The Hornsea 3 marine transmission system includes two offshore converter stations that will be installed by September 2026, as well as marine export cables, the first of which was brought ashore earlier this year. The transmission infrastructure also includes onshore cables and a converter station in the Norfolk area that connects the wind farm to the national grid.
Read more: Energy imbalance can only be resolved by reducing public consumption
Progress and Future Outlook
The Hornsea 3 wind farm is located approximately 120 kilometers off the coast of Norfolk and includes 197 14-megawatt turbines from Siemens Gamesa. Foundation installation began earlier this year, and inter-array cable installation is scheduled to start in October. The project is expected to be operational by 2027.
The previous Ofgem tender (Round 13) included transmission infrastructure for the East Anglia Three, Inch Cape, and Dogger Bank C projects, with an estimated value of £3.5 billion. Given that Round 14 for Hornsea 3 assets is also assessed at this amount, this tender will be the largest OFTO competition to date.
Read more: Younes Jaleh calls for reform of banking and currency policies in East Azerbaijan · Sanctions on Iran's energy transport network affect regional trade competition
