Iv-Offshore & Energy b.v. is proud to announce that it has signed the early works contract with Sembcorp Marine Offshore Platforms Pte Ltd (SMOP) for the engineering of the Sofia high voltage direct current (HVDC) platform (10,000 T). Sofia Offshore Wind Farm will be one of the largest offshore wind farms in the world and when operational could provide almost 1.2 million UK homes with their annual electricity needs. Iv-Offshore & Energy is SMOP’s engineering subcontractor for the balance of plant installation in this endeavor and shall provide detailed design for both the topside and jacket and procurement of topside equipment.
Sofia Offshore Wind Farm will consist of 100 wind turbines, with a total installed capacity of 1,400 MW. The offshore converter platform will convert the electricity generated by the turbines from 66 kilovolts (kV) alternating current (AC) up to 320kV direct current (DC) before transmission to shore.
In 2018 UK Grid Solutions Ltd (GE) and Iv-Offshore & Energy (Iv-ONE) completed a FEED study for the proposed Sofia HVDC platform.
For Iv-Offshore & Energy the contract is a great leap forward in the world of the offshore HVDC engineering. We have planted our flag in this sector through our involvement starting with Borwin Alpha (400 MW) followed by Dolwin Alpha (800 MW) and Helwin Béta (690 MW) platforms and various engineering and design studies such as the 2 GW offshore grid connection FEED for TenneT.
We are honored to add the Sofia platform to our HVDC experience list. We take our leading position within this sector with pride, knowing that we have reached this level of success because of our vast experience, unequaled competence and our excellent past performance.
Sofia Offshore Wind Farm Project Details
Sofia is the largest project in RWE Renewable’s current development portfolio with a generating capacity of up to 1.4 gigawatts (GW). The wind farm site is located 195 km off the coast of the North East of England and on the shallow central area of the North Sea known as Dogger Bank.
During the last ice age the bank was part of a large landmass connecting Europe and the British Isles.
In 2015 the UK Secretary of State awarded development consent orders to four offshore wind projects to be sited on Dogger Bank, including Dogger Bank Teesside B, now called Sofia. Construction of the wind farm is due to begin onshore at its Teesside converter station site early next year, with offshore construction expected to get underway in 2023.
Dutch engineering company Iv-Offshore & Energy is a subsidiary of Iv-Groep and is already successful in the offshore wind energy for many years. We are proud to contribute our technical knowledge to further the development of sustainable energy.