RWE has installed a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) offshore converter platform (OCP) at the 1.4GW Sofia offshore wind farm located in UK waters.
The technology is essential for converting high voltage alternating current (HVAC) to HVDC, ensuring efficient energy transmission.
The installation of the OCP keeps the project on schedule to become fully operational by 2026.
Sofia will generate enough electricity to power 1.2 million UK homes.
The OCP structure took more than two and a half years and more than 13 million hours to construct and was transported from Batam Yard in Indonesia to the North Sea.
The platform is reported to be the largest of its kind in the world and symbolises the successful partnership between RWE, GE Vernova and Seatrium.
Utilising HVDC technology, the wind farm will transmit electricity with minimal power loss across the 220km cable route to shore.
The installation was executed by Heerema using the Sleipnir heavy lift vessel, under contract to the GE Vernova/Seatrium consortium.
The platform, as tall as an 11-storey building and weighing more than 13,000t, was secured onto the jacket structure in the largest lift in offshore wind history.
The Sofia offshore wind farm is situated on Dogger Bank and will send green electricity from 100 Siemens Gamesa 14MW wind turbines through subsea cables to Redcar, Teesside.
RWE’s new Grimsby hub will manage operations and maintenance for Sofia, also supporting the Triton Knoll offshore wind farm.
RWE offshore wind CEO Sven Utermöhlen said: “The successful installation of the OCP, the largest converter platform of its kind in the offshore wind industry, is a proud moment for RWE and everyone involved.
“This project not only highlights our commitment to leading the way on offshore wind, but demonstrates the scale and complexity of what can be achieved when we all work together.”
In August 2024 RWE won two offshore wind sites in the North Sea, totalling 4GW, in the latest German Federal Network Agency auction.
