ScottishPower Renewables intends to combine three offshore wind farms off the east coast of England into one single delivery programme with a capacity of 3100MW.
The East Anglia hub, comprising the East Anglia 1 North, East Anglia 2 and East Anglia 3 projects, will be procured together to leverage the scale with a continuous installation programme, the company said.
Construction of the hub will begin in 2022 and take four years. The overall investment required will be about £6.5bn, ScottishPower Renewables added.
The company aims to confirm the major suppliers within the next 10 months.
The initial 1.4GW – East Anglia 3 – already has planning consent.
Planning applications for the further 1.7GW, split between East Anglia 1 North, and East Anglia 2, have been submitted.
Iberdrola global offshore wind managing director Jonathan Cole said: “The UK has a 2050 net zero carbon commitment, and to meet this, offshore wind will need to provide the lion’s share of new renewable power for the country.
“This ambition is being supported by political parties across the UK and is highly achievable, but it needs ongoing commitment to a supportive regulatory framework that spans across government departments.
“This is likely to include reform of the grid and planning frameworks, as well as providing greater visibility of the future of the UK electricity market.”
He said the East Anglia hub to be a “key part” of the UK’s decarbonisation plans, regardless of whether that power will be sold via government backed contracts or private power sales arrangements.
Cole added: “Today we are also setting a challenge to the wider supply chain in the offshore wind sector.
“If you want larger and more frequent orders, if you want to expand your business, if you want to employ more people, then continue to innovate and continue to engage with projects such as East Anglia hub.
“We are being ambitious, and we want to work with companies who show similar confidence and appetite.”