Prysmian wins Hornsea 3 inter-array cable contract

Prysmian Group has won a new contract from Ørsted Wind Power A/S to supply inter-array submarine cables for the Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm, located about 160 km off the Yorkshire coast in the U.K. As a result, the Hornsea 3 project will further strengthen both companies’ roles in Europe’s growing offshore wind market.

Scope of the new Hornsea 3 contract

Under the new agreement, Prysmian will deliver approximately 280 km of 66 kV inter-array cables with XLPE insulation. This volume will cover around half of the wind farm’s total inter-array cable needs. In addition, Ørsted, a returning partner, again shows strong confidence in Prysmian’s ability to support one of the world’s largest offshore wind developments.

Prysmian will handle the design, manufacture, supply, termination, and testing of the complete inter-array submarine cable system. These cables will connect the individual wind turbines to the offshore converter station, so they enable efficient and reliable power collection from the field.

Prysmian’s manufacturing footprint for Hornsea 3

Prysmian will produce all submarine cable cores at its centers of excellence in Montereau and Gron, France. Then the company will carry out armoring and final assembly at its Nordenham plant in Germany, which ensures an integrated and streamlined production chain.

Cable deliveries are scheduled for 2026, in line with Hornsea 3’s construction timeline. Once completed, Hornsea 3 will deliver green, renewable electricity to more than three million homes, so it will play a key role in the U.K.’s energy transition.

Supporting Ørsted and U.K. offshore wind goals

Juliano De Mello, sales team manager offshore wind at Prysmian Group, says this latest award from Ørsted shows strong trust in Prysmian’s ability to meet rising demand for submarine cable systems that enable smarter and greener power grids. He also notes that Hornsea 3 will support the U.K. Government’s ambition to deliver 50 GW of offshore wind power by 2030 under the British Energy Security Strategy.

Prysmian’s continued work with Ørsted positions the company as a key technology partner for major offshore wind zones in the North Sea. Moreover, the Hornsea 3 contract confirms Prysmian’s role in connecting large-scale offshore wind projects to national grids. To learn more about Prysmian’s cable solutions for offshore wind, visit the Prysmian Group website. For details on Ørsted’s offshore wind portfolio, see Ørsted.

Building on the success of Hornsea 2

This latest contract builds on Prysmian’s earlier success at Hornsea 2. In 2018, Ørsted awarded the company the 66 kV inter-array submarine cable system for that project. Prysmian’s system connected 110 of the 165 wind turbines to the offshore substation platform and proved its capability at large scale.

Luke Bridgman, senior project director for Hornsea 3, explains that the new project represents another major step up in the size and complexity of offshore wind farms. Therefore, collaboration with world-class manufacturers such as Prysmian is crucial to delivering Hornsea 3 safely, on time, and to high technical standards.

Author: WJI staff and wire services