RWE reached a landmark construction milestone at the Sofia Offshore Wind Farm, successfully completing the installation of all 100 turbines at the offshore site located more than 200 kilometres from the UK coastline. The achievement positions Sofia among the largest offshore wind farms in the United Kingdom and marks a critical step toward full commercial operations.

A Fleet of 100 Turbines in Position

The final turbine was placed, completing a process that has been underway since March 2025. All 100 units installed at Sofia are Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy SG-14 222 DD models, each rated at 14 megawatts.

The turbines were delivered and installed in partnership with SGRE, the manufacturer, using the jack-up vessel Wind Peak, owned by Cadeler and operated by SGRE. The vessel transported and installed turbine components in sets of six at a time throughout the installation campaign.

Each turbine stands 252 metres tall at its highest point, features blades measuring 108 metres in length, and carries a rotor diameter of 222 metres. These dimensions place the Sofia turbines among the largest offshore wind turbines deployed anywhere in the world.

RecyclableBlades and UK Manufacturing

A notable feature of the Sofia project is the incorporation of specialist RecyclableBlades on half of the 100 turbines. These blades, along with their associated components, were manufactured by SGRE and assembled at its facility at Green Port Hull in the United Kingdom.

The use of RecyclableBlades on 50 of the turbines represents a move toward addressing one of the offshore wind industry's longer-term sustainability challenges, namely the end-of-life disposal of turbine blade materials.

The Green Port Hull facility's role in the project also underlines the broader domestic supply chain contribution that the Sofia development has provided to the UK wind sector during its construction phase.

HVDC System Testing Continues

While the physical installation of all turbines is now complete, Sofia is not yet generating electricity for the grid. Testing and commissioning of the site's HVDC, or High Voltage Direct Current, distribution system is continuing on site before the turbines can be connected to it.

The HVDC system is a key element of Sofia's infrastructure, enabling the transmission of electricity across the significant distance between the wind farm's location and the onshore grid connection point.

RWE has not provided a specific timeline in its announcement for when commissioning will be finalised and the wind farm will move into full operational status.

Scale and Generation Capacity

Once fully operational, Sofia will be capable of generating 1.4 gigawatts of renewable electricity. RWE states that output at that level would be sufficient to power approximately 1.2 million typical UK homes. The 1.4GW capacity figure places Sofia among the most significant offshore wind projects in the United Kingdom's renewable energy portfolio.

The wind farm's location more than 200 kilometres offshore in the North Sea presents both engineering complexity and operational considerations. The decision to use the Wind Peak, described by RWE as a state-of-the-art construction jack-up vessel, reflects the logistical demands of working at that distance and water depth.

RWE's Role in UK Offshore Wind

RWE describes itself as a world leader in offshore wind, and the Sofia project represents one of its most significant UK undertakings. The company's UK offshore wind activities extend beyond Sofia, though no additional project details were contained within this announcement.

The completion of turbine installation at Sofia adds to RWE's operational and construction portfolio at a time when the United Kingdom is pursuing substantial expansion of its offshore wind capacity as part of its broader clean energy ambitions.

The partnership structure at Sofia, drawing on Cadeler's vessel ownership, SGRE's turbine manufacture and vessel operation, and RWE's project development and ownership role, illustrates the collaborative model that has become characteristic of large-scale offshore wind construction in European waters.

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