Trusted support partner for the design and install of high voltage equipment for offshore wind projects.

Get started, planning your offshore wind farm project with Powersystems

Building the electrical infrastructure for an offshore wind farm is a challenging project that requires teams of specialists to handle the many aspects of the project—from conception and planning to implementation.

Speak with one of our high voltage electrical engineering Wind Farm Specialists today.


Who to carry out your wind farm balance of plant contract?

Burbo Bank, off the coast of Liverpool was the UK’s first offshore wind farm. Powersystems carried out the electrical installation for the STATCOM works contract on behalf of the client.  Since then Powersystems is actively involved with offshore and onshore wind farm projects across the UK including building the world’s largest offshore wind farm, Dogger Bank, of the North East coast of England.

The civil and electrical works known as the balance of plant are designed and installed by high voltage electrical-engineers like Powersystems.  

Experience in the design and installation of high voltage electrical infrastructure has placed Powersystems in a position ideally suited to carryout wind farm electrical balance of plant contracts.


Powersytems have carried out onshore electrical works on 25% of UK offshore wind farms.


Wind farm infrastructure and what you need to consider

Generating wind power offshore is half of the story, green-electricity needs to be carried onshore and connected to the National Grid, before it reaches millions of homes across the UK.

When offshore turbines generate power, electricity is carried through underwater cables via an offshore substation towards the shore. The offshore substation steps up the voltage, cables buried underground transfer the electricity to an onshore substation, where it is converted to the correct voltage and fed into the National Grid.

Powersystems engineers are highly experienced in the design, specification, installation and commissioning of onshore wind farm substations, transformers, switchgear, earthing systems cable infrastructure,and SCADA cabling, enabling onshore installation works to be carried out.

Further assistance and information

The Crown Estate manages the seabed around England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The Energy Act 2004 vests rights to The Crown Estate to license the generation of renewable energy on the continental shelf within the Renewable Energy Zone out to 200 nautical miles.
In 2001, The Crown Estate announced the first UK offshore wind leasing round and since has run four further leasing rounds.
The UK represents the global leading market opportunity for offshore wind, both in terms of operating projects and the development pipeline. To supplement this and ensure increasing demand for offshore wind can be met, The Crown Estate is increasing the depth of an already active portfolio.

Read this helpful guide to offshore wind farm published by The Crown Estate and Catapult.


Why your offshore wind energy project is important

Offshore wind is expected to be a major contributor to the UK’s renewable energy mix as we move toward net zero emissions. Quadrupling on our current position the UK government has set a target to reach 40 GW of installed offshore wind capacity by 2030, as part of the effort to reach net zero emissions by 2050. This is the most ambitious offshore wind target in Europe.

~ Achieving the UK’s net zero and renewable generation ambitions could require as much as 100 GW of offshore wind by 2050. ~

The sector’s push towards developing offshore wind is driven by two considerations. Firstly, there are better wind conditions at sea. The winds are stronger and the air is denser. Secondly, going offshore also allows for larger turbines to be installed and run more operative hours.

The UK generates more electricity from offshore wind than any other country, harnessing the wind power our seas are well placed to produce. With a single turn of their blades, the latest wind turbines generate enough electricity to power a house for more than 24 hours.

To integrate clean technologies like offshore wind, we must transform our energy system, building more network infrastructure and utilising smart technologies like energy storage. Read More: The Offshore Transmission Network Review sets out the strategy to connect offshore wind in a clean and cost-effective way, and outlines plans for smart systems and introducing competition in the Read More: Onshore networks in the Energy White Paper.

The UK government included offshore wind power in the Ten Point Plan for a green industrial revolution.


Why offshore wind energy?

Offshore wind power is a renewable energy and is an infinite energy source, the conversion of wind into power creates no harmful greenhouse gas emissions. As the UK works to tackle climate change and reduce greenhouse gases, offshore wind plays an essential role in our future electricity generation.


How offshore wind energy works?

Offshore wind power or offshore wind energy is the generation of electricity through windfarms in bodies of water, usually at sea. The force of the wind at sea turns the blades on the unit, which turns a motor which transforms kinetic energy into electricity. The energy is transferred to the gear box, which converts the slow speed of the spinning blades into higher speed rotary motion – turning the drive shaft quickly enough to power the electricity generator. There are higher wind speeds offshore than on land, so offshore wind farms generate more electricity per amount of capacity installed.


How efficient are offshore wind farms?

Faster wind speeds off shore mean much more energy can be generated. Offshore wind speeds tend to be steadier than on land. A steadier supply of wind means a more reliable source of energy. Many coastal areas have very high energy needs.

A modern wind turbine produces electricity 70-85% of the time, but it generates different outputs depending on the wind speed. Over the course of a year, it will typically generate about 24% of the theoretical maximum output (41% offshore). This is known as the capacity factor.


Race Bank offshore wind farm
How many offshore wind turbines are there in the UK?

The UK is the world leader in offshore wind, with more installed capacity than any other country. We fully or partly own twelve operational offshore wind farms in the UK. Already, offshore wind powers the equivalent of 4.2 million homes annually and in 2022 generated over 10% of UK electricity. Between 2016 and 2021 nearly £19 billion was invested in offshore wind in the UK.


What is the future of offshore wind energy?

The development of offshore wind power has become a pressing energy issue, driven by the need to find new electrical power sources and to reduce the use of fossil fuels. Offshore wind farms can harness tremendous wind resources without annoying the community and with a comparatively low environmental impact.

Race Bank offshore wind farm

The Government support to unleash the potential of this industry has seen the cost of offshore wind fall by two thirds in the last five years. To offer further commitment to the industry and help further reduce costs, this year the Government aims to deliver up to double the number of renewables we procure through the next Contracts for Difference (CFD) auction. And by 2030, the UK aims to produce 40 GW of offshore wind, including 1 GW of innovative floating offshore wind in the windiest parts of our seas. The UK is home to the world’s first 2 floating offshore wind farms and by 2030 we intend to have scaled this twelvefold. This target could encourage £20 billion of private investment into the UK and could double jobs in the sector over the next decade, ranging from construction workers to top-end engineers.


Advancing offshore wind could deliver…
Offshore wind policy Impacts
Offshore wind target milestones


Powersystems offshore wind farm case studies

Read the latest offshore wind farm case studies from Powersystems on wind farms projects


Dogger Bank Offshore Wind Farm Project

Powersystems were appointed to construct the 2.4 GW Dogger Bank offshore wind farm A and B onshore cable route.

Dogger Bank will be capable of powering 6 million homes.

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