RWE, one of the world’s leading offshore wind companies, has made progress in the construction of its 1.4 GW Sofia offshore wind farm, located on the Dogger Bank off the UK east coast.
The project has already achieved several milestones in the construction of foundations, onshore, and offshore electrical systems over the past months. It is now preparing for the first turbine installation, expected towards the beginning of April 2025 and first generation of electricity and feed into the grid later in 2025.
Sven Utermöhlen, CEO RWE Offshore Wind, responded: “Sofia is one of RWE’s largest offshore construction project globally and remains on track and on budget to generate first power this year. This progress reflects the expertise of our RWE team and the strong support of our supply chain partners, ensuring the delivery of flagship projects like Sofia. For the UK particularly, the achievement of these latest milestones demonstrates RWE’s role in deploying offshore wind in support of the UK government’s clean power targets by 2030. Through partnerships with companies like Siemens Gamesa in Hull, RWE is able to support jobs and prosperity within coastal communities and is a tangible example of the value of offshore wind to the UK’s economy.”
Mid-March 2025 saw the arrival of the new, state-of-the-art turbine installation vessel, Wind Peak, from Cadeler, which will carry the first of the 14 MW turbine components to the project located 195 km offshore, for installation.
In addition, the first of 150 recyclable wind turbine blades, manufactured in Hull by Siemens Gamesa, have been produced ready for installation at 50 of Sofia’s 100 turbines in Spring. So far at Sofia, more than half of the offshore turbine foundations have been installed, the offshore converter station, onshore substation, and onshore and offshore export cables are also in place, in preparation for first generation later in 2025.
Energy Minister, Michael Shanks, commented: “It is great to see this milestone reached for the Sofia offshore wind farm. This takes us a step closer to achieving our mission for clean power by 2030, with over a million homes expected to be powered by the wind farm. With £6 billion of investment from this project alone, our clean power mission is creating future-proof jobs, making the UK energy secure, and delivering the clean power needed to get bills down for good.”
Marc Becker, Siemens Gamesa Head of Offshore, added: “As wind energy becomes a cornerstone of the global energy transition, more than one million tpy of blade material is expected to be installed. Our recyclable blades can give those materials a second use. At Hull, we are proud to be producing 150 recyclable blades for Sofia. This is a landmark moment as Sofia, one of the largest offshore wind farms in the world, will be the first in UK waters to feature this industry-leading innovation.”
The completion of the first recyclable blades represents a step toward full lifecycle sustainability and aligns with RWE’s sustainability ambitions. This technology, which incorporates an advanced resin system and enables efficient material separation and reuse is setting a new industry benchmark. Siemens Gamesa’s Hull facility plays a vital role in this transformation, serving as a hub for technological advancement and economic growth – its first recyclable blades were supplied to RWE’s Kaskasi offshore wind farm. RWE’s and Siemens Gamesa’s joint commitment to local manufacturing strengthens supply chains and generates job opportunities, reinforcing the UK’s renewable energy sector.
Further underscoring the project’s progress, Wind Peak (purpose-built by Cadeler) is one of the largest offshore vessel to be deployed in UK waters and most advanced of its kind across the global industry. With a deck space of 5600 m2, a payload of over 17 600 t and main crane capacity of above 2600 t at 46 m, the vessels can transport and install up to seven complete turbine sets per load, cutting down the number of trips needed for each project, accelerating installation speed while minimising installation costs and the carbon footprint.
RWE currently operates 10 offshore wind farms across the UK, with an additional nine in development. These development projects represent a combined potential installed capacity of approximately 9.8 GW, with RWE’s pro-rata share totalling 7 GW.
Read the article online at: https://www.energyglobal.com/wind/18032025/rwe-marks-major-construction-milestones-at-sofia-offshore-wind-farm/
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