The fifth tender for offshore transmission owners (OFTOs) run by Ofgem includes links to the Dudgeon, Galloper, Race Bank, Rampion and Walney Extension wind farms.
The regulator will select the most competitive bids to own and run the links for to offshore sites for a period of 20 years.
This fifth tender round comes after the Ofgem recently shortlisted five bidders to own and run the £230m transmission link for the Burbo Bank Extension offshore wind farm in the Bay of Liverpool.
Ofgem networks senior partner Jonathan Brearley said: “Since the launch of the OFTO regime, the first three tendering rounds have delivered £700m in savings and have attracted over £3bn in investment value.
“By providing the opportunity for investors to now participate in the tendering of over £2bn of assets in the next round, it should ensure the delivery of further value for consumers and contribute to reducing the overall cost of offshore wind.”
Ofgem said the first three offshore transmission operators (OFTOs) introduced several new players into the transmission market in UK.
Apart from this, the OFTO regime also helps several organisations including UK life insurers and pension funds to invest in the long term infrastructure projects.
