Offshore Transmission Network Review: Pathfinder projects
A summary of progress on Pathfinder projects under the Offshore Transmission Network Review.
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The Offshore Transmission Network Review (OTNR) is seeking to maximise the impact it can have in the near term by encouraging well-advanced projects to voluntarily opt-in to become Pathfinders. The concept of a Pathfinder was created for such projects that are leading the way in utilizing the enabling regulatory and policy changes being developed under the OTNR to deliver significant near-term benefit to the community, the environment and to consumers.
In a ministerial letter to each of the 4 developers, the Department for Business, Energy and Industry Strategy (BEIS) welcomes the Pathfinder proposals and looks forward to working with the developers to help realise the near term benefits these projects have the potential to deliver. The 4 confirmed pathfinder projects are:
1. Equinor’s proposal for shared transmission infrastructure between the Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon extensions projects in East Anglia.
2. Orsted’s proposal for Gigastack, a hydrogen electrolyser utilising power from the existing Hornsea 2 offshore wind farm in Yorkshire.
3. Orsted’s proposal for Boudicca, to co-locate a 200MW onshore battery to the grid connection of Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm in East Anglia.
4. SSEN / HVDC Centre’s proposal for Project Aquila, an interoperability solution for the Eastern Green Link HVDC, enabling multi-vendor, multi terminal operation opportunity across future connections into Peterhead.
These projects will provide important learnings for future projects, inform the detailed design of the regulatory framework and will maximise the benefits for consumers, communities, and the environment.
The confirmation of these 4 Pathfinder Projects demonstrates government’s commitment to ongoing collaboration with the aim of addressing detailed policy and regulatory barriers to increasing network coordination. It does not in any way prejudice any future regulatory or statutory planning decisions which may be required by either Ofgem or the Secretary of State.
In addition to the first tranche of Pathfinder announcements, 5 projects in East Anglia (National Grid Electricity Transmission (Sea Link), National Grid Ventures (EuroLink and Nautilus), North Falls and Five Estuaries), have today confirmed their commitment to exploring coordinated network designs and identifying future Pathfinder projects in the attached joint statement.