Sofia wind farm’s offshore converter station has reached its installation site off east England where it will be installed by RWE.
The 10,000-tonne topside has a 1.4GW power output and will export electricity from the 100-turbine array to an onshore converter station near Lazenby, Teesside.
Heerema’s semi-submersible crane vessel Sleipner has already installed the jacket foundation and is now in position to lower the HVDC topside itself.
Full operations for the wind farm are targeted for 2026.
RWE said: “Reaching this point is an achievement in itself, but we are from finished. Over the coming days, our team out at sea will prepare the jacket for installation.
“For now, we celebrate the safe arrival of these assets and the start of this crucial stage of our project.”