Hellenic Cables to supply inter-array links for Hornsea Three offshore wind farm

Hellenic Cables has signed a contract with Ørsted for the supply of inter-array cables for the 2.85 GW Hornsea Three offshore wind farm in the UK. The company will deliver some 262 kilometres of cables, which covers approximately 50 per cent of the overall wind farm requirements.

Under the contract, the Greek cable manufacturer will be responsible for the design, manufacturing, supply, termination and testing of 66kV inter-array cables with XLPE insulation that will connect the wind turbines and the offshore converter station.

Manufacturing will begin in the fourth quarter of 2025 at Hellenic Cables’ factory in Corinth, Greece.

Hornsea Three will be located approximately 120 kilometres off the Norfolk coast and 160 kilometres off the Yorkshire coast, covering an area of 696 square kilometres.

The wind farm is planned to comprise up to 231 wind turbines, with the supplier yet to be announced. The project will have a generation capacity of 2,852 MW, enough to power around 3 million UK homes, according to the developer.

According to Ørsted, the 2,852 MW Hornsea Three is the world’s single biggest offshore wind farm (it will be built as one project instead of in phases).

The project was awarded a Contract for Difference (CfD) in July 2022 and Ørsted expects to make a final investment decision this year.

Offshore construction on the project is scheduled to start in 2025 and to be completed in 2027.

In the Hornsea Zone, Ørsted has already built and put into operation the 1.2 GW Hornsea One and the 1.3 GW Hornsea Two offshore wind farms, the world’s biggest operational offshore wind farms at the time when they were commissioned.

When Hornsea Three comes online, the combined capacity of Hornsea 1, 2, and 3 will be in excess of 5 GW, making it one of the world’s largest offshore wind zones and capable of covering the power consumption of approximately five million UK homes.

Ørsted has also applied for development consent for a 2.6 GW offshore wind farm in the Hornsea Zone, Hornsea Four.