The investment will be needed to deliver the necessary infrastructure to connect the 8GW of planned offshore wind generation. The UK government has confirmed that Ofgem will run the competitive tender to appoint companies to connect the offshore generation projects.
The regulator has also published a follow-up consultation document seeking views on the design of the offshore regulatory regime and on the format for the tender process needed for the project.
Ofgem stated that the aim is to provide the most cost-effective and efficient connections for offshore generators, while maintaining the principles that ensure the stability of the whole grid network and enable participation in the UK energy market.
In addition the government announced in December 2007 that it is carrying out a strategic environmental assessment plan for its objective to achieve up to 25GW of offshore wind generation.
