RWE has taken the financial investment decision on its 1.4 GW flagship Sofia Offshore Wind Farm project. The 100% RWE-owned project is the largest offshore project in the company’s renewables fleet and represents a total investment of approximately £3 billion. The company will soon begin the construction works with onshore enabling works due to start in spring 2021. The offshore construction work is planned to start in 2023 and final project completion is expected by the last quarter of 2026. 

Sofia Offshore Wind Farm project is located on Dogger Bank and is 195 km away from the UK’s North East coast. The company won a Contract for Difference for the project in 2019 with a strike price of £39.65 per MWh (in 2012 prices). The power produced by Sofia will be transported through HVDC cables to landfall 220 km away in Redcar, Teesside and has an agreed grid connection point at the existing National Grid substation in Lackenby, Teesside.

Preferred supplier agreements with key suppliers for the project and contracts are to be finalised soon. The major suppliers include: 

  • Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy is set to supply 100 of its 14 MW offshore wind turbines (SG 14-222 DD)
  • A specially formed consortium of GE Renewable Energy’s Grid Solutions and Sembcorp Marine is set to supply a state-of-the-art transmission system including two HVDC converter stations 
  • Van Oord is the preferred supplier for monopile foundations as well as array cables
  • Prysmian Group is due to provide a high voltage submarine and land export cable connection

RWE is focusing on expanding its offshore wind portfolio in the UK. The construction of the 857 MW (RWE’s share is 506 MW) Triton Knoll Offshore Wind Farm is in advanced stages and four extension projects with a combined potential installed capacity of around 2.6 GW (RWE’s share is 1.3 GW) are already in consultation. Meanwhile, the company has recently successfully bid for two new offshore sites in The Crown Estate’s Offshore Wind Round 4 Leasing auction. These new sites have a potential total installed capacity of 3 GW and are also on Dogger Bank.