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Van Oord Installs First Monopile Foundation at RWE Sofia Offshore Wind Farm

Van Oord’s offshore installation vessel Aeolus has successfully installed the first monopile foundation at the RWE Sofia Offshore Wind Farm, marking a significant milestone in the project’s development. Over the next few months, Van Oord will install a total of 100 monopile foundations, each designed to support the massive wind turbines that will generate power for the farm. This 1.4 GW project is one of the largest offshore wind farms in the world, with the capacity to power approximately 1.2 million average UK homes.

The Sofia wind farm is strategically located on Dogger Bank in the central North Sea, about 195 kilometers from the North East coast of the UK. This remote location presents unique challenges, but also significant opportunities for harnessing wind energy. RWE has contracted Van Oord for the comprehensive design, engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) of the monopile foundations and array cables for this ambitious project. Project execution is being managed by Van Oord Offshore Wind UK from their MPI Offshore office in Stokesley, Teesside.

To prepare the seabed for the installation of the monopiles, Van Oord deployed its versatile fallpipe vessels, Bravenes and Nordnes, to install scour protection. The monopiles themselves are impressive feats of engineering, with diameters of up to 8.8 meters, lengths reaching up to 92 meters, and weights of up to 1,530 tonnes. These massive structures were manufactured by EEW in Rostock, Germany, and transported by barges to the Port of Tyne. This port, located near Newcastle on the River Tyne in North East England, serves as the storage and marshalling base for the wind turbine generator (WTG) foundations.

Roeland Ris, Project Director at Van Oord, expressed his satisfaction with the progress: “We’re very pleased to announce reaching this significant milestone. Following thorough preparations, offshore construction is now in full swing, driven by a high-performing project team and great cooperation with all partners involved.”

For this project, extended monopiles are being used, which eliminate the need for a transition piece. These monopiles will be equipped with secondary steel components, including main access platforms, internal platforms, boat landings, and upper ladders. These components have been manufactured by various suppliers in the Netherlands and Poland and are also being transported to the Port of Tyne.

Later this year, Van Oord will deploy its cable-laying vessel Calypso and trencher Dig-it to install the 360 kilometers of array cables necessary for the project. These cables, manufactured in Greece, are currently stored in the Port of Blyth, located just north of Newcastle.

The installation of these monopile foundations is a crucial step in the development of the Sofia Offshore Wind Farm, which promises to be a landmark project in the renewable energy sector. With Van Oord’s expertise and the collaborative efforts of all involved parties, the project is well on its way to providing sustainable energy to millions of UK homes.

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