Prysmian to deliver inter-array cables for Ørsted’s Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm

Prysmian Group has been awarded a contract by Ørsted Wind Power A/S to supply inter-array submarine cables for the 2.9 GW Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm in the UK.

Under the contract, subject to Ørsted taking a Final Investment Decision on Hornsea 3, Prysmian Group will be responsible for the design, manufacture, supply, termination, and testing of the inter-array submarine cable system that will connect the wind turbines and the offshore converter station.

The project involves approximately 280 kilometres of 66 kV inter-array cables with XLPE insulation, which will cover about 50 per cent of the overall wind farm’s requirements, the Italy-headquartered company said. The other 50 per cent will be supplied by Hellenic Cables.

All the submarine cable cores will be produced at Prysmian’s centres of excellence located in Montereau and Gron, France, while the armouring and assembling process will be performed at the facility in Nordenham, Germany.

The cables are due to be delivered in 2026.

Previously, in 2018, Ørsted had awarded Prysmian Group a contract to design, manufacture, supply, and test 66 kV inter-array submarine cable system for the Hornsea Two offshore wind farm, connecting 110 of the 165 wind turbines and the offshore substation platform.

“We are very pleased and proud for having been chosen again to undertake such a challenging project supporting Ørsted to meet the UK Government’s ambition to deliver 50 GW of offshore wind power by 2030 as part of the British Energy Security Strategy. Thanks to our technological and state-of-the-art products and solutions, we will ensure a safe and reliable energy supply to the communities of the area“, said Juliano De Mello, Sales Team Manager Offshore Wind, Prysmian Group.

The 2,852 MW Hornsea 3, which was awarded a Contract for Difference (CfD) in July 2022, will be built 120 kilometres off the north Norfolk coast, where up to 231 wind turbines will be installed.

When Hornsea 3 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.

The export cables for the offshore wind project will be provided by NKT.