First Turbine Stands Tall at RWE’s Sofia Offshore Wind Farm

(Credit: RWE)

Cadeler’s Wind Peak jack-up vessel has completed the installation of the first 14 MW offshore wind turbine at RWE’s Sofia offshore wind farm, located on the Dogger Bank off the U.K. east coast.

The turbine installation vessel, Wind Peak, from Cadeler, arrived at the offshore site for the first time during the weekend of March 22, where it started and has now completed the installation of the first turbine.

During each vessel cycle, the Wind Peak will carry and install six sets of the latest SG 14-222 wind turbines, supplied by Siemens Gamesa.

The Sofia offshore wind farm will comprise 100 Siemens Gamesa 14 MW turbines, making it one of the largest single offshore wind farms in the world.

Each offshore wind turbine stands over 252 meters above sea level, with blades of 108 meters sweeping an area of 39,000 square meters, which is equivalent to about 5.5 standard U.K. football pitches.

With its 1.4 GW capacity, Sofia offshore wind farm will generate enough renewable energy to power the equivalent of up to 1.2m typical UK homes. It is on course to be fully operational in the second half of 2026. 

“This is yet another great construction milestone for Sofia, one of RWE’s flagship offshore wind farms in the UK. The team and our contractors are making great progress with the construction work both onshore and offshore. We’re now looking forward to Sofia making a significant contribution to the UK’s Clean Power 2030 targets, after commissioning, which is expected in 2026,” said Thomas Michel, COO RWE Offshore Wind.