Balfour Beatty to be awarded Thanet transmission licence

UK: Balfour Beatty is set to be handed the Offshore Transmission Owner (OFTO) licence for the 300MW Thanet wind project by Ofgem.

The 300MW Thanet site is located 12 kilometres off the UK's south-east coast

Energy regulator Ofgem said Balfour Beatty should be handed the licence after financial close has been reached with Vattenfall. An Ofgem spokesperson said the completion would likely take place in December following a "statutory standstill period".

The infrastructure firm would own and maintain the project's transmission assets for 20 years. Thanet was part of the first round of tenders for OFTO licenses in 2010.

Balfour Beatty was named as the preferred bidder for the licence then, but technical issues with the transmission has delayed the transfer being handed over.

In the first half of 2012, Thanet suffered a cable failure, which cost Vattenfall EUR 50 million to rectify. The issue was resolved in April 2012.

Balfour Beatty, as part of a consortium, was handed the OFTO licence for the 500MW Greater Gabbard offshore project in November 2013.