Dutch-German transmission system operator (TSO) TenneT, which bought northern Germany’s high-voltage grid from E.ON in 2009, is legally — and exclusively — required to build subsea electrical links to offshore wind farms in the German North Sea as and when they move into the water.

However, the potential scope of that responsibility has grown hugely since March, when Germany thrust offshore wind to the centre of its future energy policy following the Japanese nuclear disaster.

As