First Power

Sofia’s first power milestone is currently targeted for 2025. The project’s own indicative timeline sets out 2025 as the year in which the wind farm will achieve “First power”, positioning this as a key step between initial foundation and turbine installation activities and full operation in 2026. This aligns with the broader construction narrative in which offshore construction began in 2023, major foundation and cable installation activities continued through 2024, and turbine installation and commissioning activities ramp up across 2025 in preparation for generation. The dedicated offshore construction update further refines this picture by stating that, looking across 2025, the project team expects to complete foundation and array cable installation, commission and energise both the onshore and offshore converter platforms, and “generate first power” within the same year. It notes that energisation of the offshore converter platform is planned for Q3 2025, implying that initial power export will follow once turbines and associated electrical systems are ready and tested. Construction overall is anticipated to complete by the end of 2026, so first power represents the transition from pure construction into early operational testing. A March 2025 press release from RWE, Sofia’s developer, confirms that the project “remains on track and on budget to generate first power this year” and refers to “first generation of electricity and feed into the grid later this year.” This communication, issued as turbine installation is about to begin and with major electrical infrastructure already in place, reinforces 2025 as the current target year for first power and underlines its importance for contributing to the UK’s Clean Power 2030 target by unlocking part of Sofia’s 1.4 GW capacity for the first time.