Offshore wind transmission: this is how wind energy is transported

Page date: Published 9 Jan 2025; updated 30 Sep 2026. 3 min read.

The article explains the cable and converter chain that carries offshore wind power to shore. Turbines generate electricity, which travels over subsea cables to a substation; export cables, including high-voltage direct current (HVDC) systems, carry it to shore, where an onshore substation connects it to the grid. The page describes HVDC as useful for long-distance, high-power transmission because it can reduce losses compared with AC transmission.

It distinguishes several cable roles: inter-array cables connect turbines to each other and to a collection point; export cables carry electricity shoreward; subsea umbilicals can bundle electrical wires, data lines and fluid tubes to support offshore equipment. Converter stations convert between DC and AC for grid delivery.

The described cable installation sequence includes seabed surveys and route planning, tailoring and testing cable lengths, laying cables (often below the seabed), connecting turbine and substation ends, and testing the completed connections. The article says subsea cables can also connect wind farms, support expansion, and carry monitoring data about turbine condition, performance and maintenance needs.

Related links: Energy; Offshore wind. The article links to external explainers from National Grid, Hitachi Energy, Clean Energy Business Council, and Guide to a Floating Offshore Wind Farm.