Editorial illustration of high-voltage transmission equipment; not a photograph of Hornsea 3.
Ofgem’s new tender highlights the investment and long-term operating responsibilities behind a major offshore wind connection.
Britain’s energy regulator opened Offshore Transmission Owner Tender Round 14 on October 21, covering the transmission assets that will connect the Hornsea 3 offshore wind project to the onshore grid.
Ofgem estimates the assets’ value at around £3.5 billion. That is an estimate for the tender process, rather than the value of an awarded contract.
What investors are bidding for
The competition will select an owner and operator. Under the OFTO framework, the successful bidder purchases transmission assets from the developer and receives regulated, inflation-linked revenue for financing, operating and maintaining them.
The framework covers prebuilt infrastructure including export cables and offshore and onshore substations. Ofgem describes Hornsea 3 as under construction; opening this tender does not mean the connection is already operational.
The engineering significance
The announcement puts the electricity connection alongside the wind farm itself as a major investment responsibility. The tender determines who will maintain and operate the link over time, making asset availability and maintenance central considerations.
The next milestones are the competitive selection, licence award and transfer of the transmission assets. None is established as complete by the tender opening.
Read Ofgem’s October 21 announcement. Explore related engineering analysis.