NKT has been awarded a supply contract for the delivery of the high-voltage DC on- and offshore export cable system to the Hornsea 3 project which is being developed by Orsted.
For NKT, the final order has an estimated contract value of approx €500m in market prices.
The contract will comprise the design, manufacturing, jointing and termination of the export power cable system for Hornsea 3.
This will include two circuits with a route length of around 170 km 320 kV DC offshore cable, 50 km 320 kV DC onshore cable as well as four circuits for 1.5 km route of 400 kV AC onshore cable.
The DC system will connect the wind turbines with the substation while the AC cables will connect the substation to the national grid.
NKT president and chief executive Alexander Kara said: “In Q2 2022, we completed the power cable system for Hornsea 2 and we are proud to continue our long-term collaboration with Orsted on Hornsea 3.
“It is a testament to our shared commitment of delivering more offshore wind energy to the United Kingdom thereby contributing to the green transition of the countries’ power supply.”
Subject to Orsted taking a final investment decision, Hornsea 3 will be located in the North Sea, approximately 160 km off the Yorkshire coast.
When Hornsea 3 comes online the combined capacity of Hornsea 1, 2 and 3 will be in excess of 5GW, making it one of the world’s largest offshore wind zones and capable of covering the power consumption of approximately five million UK homes.
Hornsea 3 alone will be capable of producing enough low-cost, clean, renewable electricity to power millions of UK homes, making a significant contribution to the UK Government’s ambition of having 50GW offshore wind in operation by 2030.
Orsted’s senior project director for Hornsea 3 Luke Bridgman said: “Hornsea 3 will provide low-cost, clean energy at great scale.
“Delivering such a project requires market-leading capabilities from our contractor partners, and we are therefore delighted to build upon our successful collaboration with NKT on Hornsea 2 as we embark on our next major project together.”
NKT will produce the power cables at the high-voltage factory in Karlskrona, Sweden, and plans to complete the project in 2027.


