BEIS confirms plans to interconnect offshore wind clusters  

Plans to interconnect clusters of offshore windfarms have been confirmed by the government.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s (BEIS) Offshore Transmission Network Review (OTNR) is exploring how to take a more strategic approach to windfarm development, including how best to facilitate multi-purpose interconnectors (MPIs) – assets which combine interconnection with direct connections to offshore windfarms.

BEIS explained that the current design and building approach to offshore transmission, developed when it was a nascent sector, was designed to de-risk delivery by leaving project developers in control of building the associated assets to bring the energy onshore.

Each project had a separate cable route and associated onshore infrastructure which, it added, has “caused some local concern”.

With new ambitions to increase offshore wind to 50GW by 2030, BEIS said constructing individual point-to-point connections for each windfarm may not be the most efficient approach and could become a  “major barrier” to achieving its goal.

In a consultation response published this week the government confirmed its intention to create a clearer road map to integrate wind energy onto the grid by introducing a new legislative framework for MPIs, providing more clarity for an MPI licensing regime and more certainty to developers.

MPIs, the government said, could potentially reduce costs by approximately 5 – 10% compared to conventional interconnector projects.

BEIS further cited findings from National Grid Electricity System Operator which indicate that adopting an integrated approach to offshore development by 2025 – including the use of MPIs – could reduce lifetime transmission costs by around £3 billion.

Energy Minister Greg Hands said: “We recognise that there is currently a growing impact on the coastal communities which host offshore wind infrastructure. As we power up our plans to become more independent, with growing supply of clean energy, we need to minimise local impacts.

“With the potential for huge savings, multi-purpose interconnectors could ease offshore wind development, by establishing a future generation of offshore connection hubs.

“I look forward to working with independent regulator Ofgem, as we explore allowing clusters of offshore windfarms to connect all in one, and directly into electricity interconnectors which could also enable Britain to sell excess clean energy to other countries.”