Iv-Offshore & Energy signs engineering contract Sofia HVDC-platform
Iv-Offshore & Energy b.v. is proud to announce that it has signed the early works contract with Sembcorp Marine Offshore Platforms (SMOP) for the engineering of the 10,000t Sofia high voltage direct current (HVDC) platform. 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 1,400MW. The offshore converter platform will convert the electricity generated by the turbines from 66kV alternating current (AC) up to 320kV direct current (DC) before transmission to shore.
In 2018 UK Grid Solutions and Iv-Offshore & Energy 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. The company has planted its flag in this sector through projects such as Borwin Alpha (400MW), Dolwin Alpha (800MW) and Helwin Béta (690MW) platforms and various engineering and design studies such as the 2GW offshore grid connection FEED for TenneT.
Sofia is the largest project in RWE Renewable’s current development portfolio with a generating capacity of up to 1.4GW. The windfarm site is located 195km off the coast of the North East of England and on the shallow central area of the North Sea known as Dogger Bank. 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 windfarm is due to begin onshore at its Teesside converter station site early next year, with offshore construction expected to get underway in 2023.