Dutch offshore installation company Van Oord on Thursday confirmed it had secured a contract to deliver and install monopile foundations and array cables for RWE's 1.4 GW Sofia offshore wind farm in the UK.
The contract comes a little over a week after RWE made a financial investment decision for the Sofia offshore wind farm, located the Dogger Bank in the central North Sea, 195 kilometers from the North East coast of the UK.
"Through its UK branch MPI Offshore, Van Oord will create a logistics hub to deliver the comprehensive scope of work," Van Oord said.
With the onshore converter station located near the village of Lackenby in Teesside and the recent announcement by the UK government of Freeport status for the Tees Valley, the area is expected to receive a boost. This will deliver opportunities for the local supply chain and create new jobs, Van Oord said.
Offshore installation vessel Aeolus will be deployed to install the 100 extended monopile foundations without transition pieces.
The 350 kilometers of array cables will be installed by cable-laying vessel Nexus. Van Oord will sub-contract the fabrication of the foundations and array cables.
"RWE and Van Oord know each other well having worked together on four UK projects prior to the signing of this most recent EPCI contract for foundations and array cables. At 1.4GW, Sofia is our largest and most ambitious offshore wind development to date. We look forward to leveraging our vast experience and learnings as we progress into the construction of this flagship project, and to realizing its potential in terms of contributing to the UK’s net-zero energy ambitions,' said Sven Utermöhlen, Chief Operating Officer Wind Offshore Global of RWE Renewables Stokesley office in Teesside
Arnoud Kuis, Managing Director Van Oord Offshore Wind said: "Our project team is busy preparing for this great offshore wind project. Now that the contract is signed, the design phase will be started and the project team will commence its activities from our Stokesley office. The recent announcement of Freeport status for the Tees Valley will further stimulate the regional development of the offshore wind sector in this area. In the coming period, we will be actively marketing our supply chain opportunities and vacancies with a focus on sourcing well-trained staff."
Final project completion is expected by the fourth quarter of 2026. RWE was awarded a Contract for Difference (CfD) for Sofia in 2019, achieving a strike price of £39.65 per megawatt-hour (in 2012 prices).