Dutch offshore installation specialist Heerema Marine Contractors has signed a deal with Singapore's Sembcorp Marine to transport and install an HVDC offshore converter platform for RWE's 1.4 GW Sofia offshore wind farm in the UK.

Sembcorp Marine’s yard is responsible for the construction of the platform, and offshore installation is scheduled for 2024.

Heerema will install the platform using Sleipnir, the world's largest semi-submersible crane vessel (SSCV). The vessel has previously executed work for the Hollandse Kust and Hornsea 2 offshore wind farms.

The contract for Heerema Marine Contractors comes after RWE on March 24, 2021, reached the final investment decision for the Sofia wind farm development. Heerema did not share the financial details of the deal.

Commenting on the contract with Sembcorp Marine, Koen van der Perk, Heerema's Wind Business Unit Director, said: "We are proud to be contributing to the Sofia project and are looking forward to working with Sembcorp Marine and the various other stakeholders to make this project a success. We would like to thank Sembcorp Marine for their trust in Heerema Marine Contractors to deliver a safe and successful project. Heerema is committed to support the global energy transition, and being part of this exciting project is another step in that journey for us."

At 1.4 GW, the Sofia offshore wind farm is the largest offshore wind project in RWE's current development portfolio. 

It is located 220 kilometers off the coast of Redcar, Teeside, in the North Sea on the shallow central area known as Dogger Bank.

The Sofia Offshore Wind Farm will provide power for the equivalent of about 1.2 million UK homes when completed.

 Sembcorp Marine, in consortium with GE Renewable Energy’s Grid Solutions, has been awarded an EPCI contract for the HVDC electrical system works for the project, which includes an onshore converter station and an offshore converter platform. Sembcorp Marine recently said that the HVDC system represented Sofia’s second-largest contract and is worth approximately £600 million (~USD 826 million). 

Offshore wind turbine maker Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE)  will supply 100 units of its giant 14MW SG 14-222 DD offshore wind turbine, revealed last year.

Source - www.oedigital.com