Eleven wind turbines are now standing tall at the Sofia offshore wind farm site in the UK, where the work started in March and will continue until the end of the year. Foundation installation is also underway at the UK project site, with 76 monopile foundations now in place.
The 1.4 GW project, developed by RWE, will comprise 100 Siemens Gamesa SG 14-222 DD turbines, half of which will be fitted with recyclable blades.
The turbines are being installed by Cadeler’s wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) Wind Peak , which is operating from the port of Hull and carrying components for six wind turbines per each trip. Wind Peak installed the first 14 MW wind turbine at the end of March.
The installation of monopile foundations, being carried out by Van Oord’s jack-up vessel Aeolus, is also underway at the Sofia project site, located on Dogger Bank, 195 kilometres off the UK coast. So far, 76 foundations have been installed, according to the latest Notices to Mariners from the project team. The monopiles for the Sofia project are manufactured by EEW Special Pipe Constructions.
The noise abatement (Big Bubble Curtain) vessel SAR Odin is also on site and continues supporting Aeolus during foundation installation works.
RWE has deployed the underwater noise abatement technology at the Sofia offshore wind farm in collaboration with Hydrotechnik Offshore, a Germany-based bubble curtain developer. This is the first time the technology has been used in the UK.
The 1.4 GW Sofia offshore wind farm is expected to be commissioned in 2026 when it will be capable of generating enough electricity to power the equivalent of 1.2 million UK homes.