The plant, owned by RWE, will have 100 turbines and a power generation capacity of 1.4GW reaching the coast through an extensive inter-array cable network.
Sarens has been actively involved in the construction of the plant by successfully carrying out the Sofia OCP Jacket and Topside Weighing and Loadout project.
Sarens provided a complete package of services, including manpower, engineering, mooring winches, weighing equipment, and 524 axles with 18 PPU Self-Propelled Modular Transporters (SPMTs) for the weighing and loadout.
Sofia Offshore Wind Sofia plant has a power generation capacity of 1.4GW and will provide green electricity to 1.2 million homes in the UK. Located on Dogger Bank in the North Sea, 195 kilometers off the coast of the UK, the facility will have 100 turbines mounted on monopiles, reaching a height of 252 meters.
Sarens, global leader and reference in crane rental services, heavy lifting and engineered transport, has been actively involved in the construction of the plant, successfully completing the Sofia OCP Jacket and Topside Weighing and Loadout project. This work, carried out in collaboration with RWE & GE and managed by Seatrium, took place at Seatrium's shipyard in Batam, Indonesia from May 25, 2024 to June 15, 2024.
The project involved the offshore converter platform (OCP), a crucial element for the HVDC electrical system of the offshore wind farm. This tool is responsible for converting the energy into direct current (DC) and then transmitting it to land. Thanks to this system, the electricity generated by the rotation of the wind turbines is converted from 66kV alternating current to 320kV direct current. Two 7-kilometer-long cables carry the electricity to the Lazenby converter station.
The main part of the project consisted of transporting and loading the gigantic OCP topside, which weighs 14,000 tons and is 57 meters high, as well as the OCP Jacket, weighing 5,250 tons and 51 meters high. This complex job marks the heaviest topside move in Southeast Asia, and historically, one of the heaviest ever undertaken in the world.
Although the weight and size of the parts posed a major challenge, Sarens' expert logistics team ensured punctual delivery and maintenance of the OCP units. To make this possible, Sarens provided a complete package of services, including manpower, engineering, mooring winches, weighing equipment, and 524 axles with 18 PPU Self-Propelled Modular Transporters (SPMTs) for the weighing and loadout. At the peak of the work there were 28 Sarens members, who had to deal with adverse conditions, including the impact of the rainy season on site preparation.
The wind Sofia offshore plant will be commissioned in 2026, at which time it will begin generating clean energy that will reach hundreds of thousands of homes in the United Kingdom by making use of a network of approximately 360 kilometers of inter-array cables from the turbines to the platform.
Sarens has extensive international experience in the assembly and maintenance of wind farms. It has participated in various installations around the world and particularly in Europe, as in France (Saint Nazaire and Saint Brieuc) and the UK, where its last project is now successfully completed. Recently, Sarens has worked in the marshaling of 62 the monopiles, each weighing 2000T, the largest and heaviest XXL monopiles ever to be handled in the UK, and now the 882 MW Moray West offshore wind farm, is well on it's way to contribute to the Scottish renewable energy network.
About Sarens
Sarens is the global leader and reference in crane rental, heavy lift and engineered transportation services. With state-of-the-art equipment, value engineering, one of the world's largest inventories of cranes, transporters and special rigging equipment, Sarens offers creative and intelligent solutions to today's heavy lifting and engineering transport challenges.
With more than 100 entities in 65 countries operating without borders, Sarens is an ideal partner for small to large-scale projects. Sarens currently employs 5,000 highly qualified professionals who are ready to serve the needs of any client worldwide and in all market sectors. https://www.sarens.com/