RWE is preparing to commence turbine installation at the 1400MW Sofia wind farm off east England “imminently”.
Cadeler jack-up Wind Peak arrived in Hull last week to be loaded out at Siemens Gamesa’s blade factory ahead of the first 14MW machine being installed in the coming weeks.
First power from the 100-turbine array is due to be achieved later this year before commissioning in 2026.
RWE Offshore Wind CEO Sven Utermohlen said: “Sofia is one of RWE’s largest offshore construction projects globally and remains on track and on budget to generate first power this year. This impressive progress reflects the expertise of our RWE team, and the strong support of our supply chain partners, ensuring the successful delivery of flagship projects like Sofia.
“For the UK particularly, the achievement of these latest milestones demonstrates RWE’s crucial role in deploying offshore wind in support of the UK Government’s Clean Power targets by 2030.”
Energy Minister Michael Shanks added: “It is great to see this exciting milestone reached for the Sofia offshore wind farm. Today 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 cutting-edge turbines of Sofia 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.”