Manufacturing Update

In January 2023, Sofia Offshore Wind Farm reached a key fabrication milestone for its offshore electrical infrastructure, with all offshore converter platform decks confirmed as being in place at the construction yard in Batam, Indonesia. This marked a significant step forward in the manufacturing and assembly of the high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission system that will ultimately export power from the Dogger Bank site to the UK mainland. The platform decks form the core structural and functional areas of the offshore converter platform, and having them all installed indicates that major structural fabrication had progressed from initial steelwork into an advanced assembly stage. This achievement followed earlier progress on the same asset, including the first steel-cutting ceremony for Sofia’s offshore converter platform held in Batam in September 2021, which marked the start of physical fabrication. Between that point and January 2023, work at the Indonesian yard advanced sufficiently to complete and position all decks, demonstrating coordinated delivery by RWE’s supply chain partners. The milestone underpins the project’s broader construction timeline, which later sees the offshore converter platform depart Indonesia for the UK in June 2024 and arrive at the Sofia offshore array in August 2024. With the decks in place as of January 2023, the project could move on to outfitting, systems installation, and testing activities required to prepare the platform for transport, offshore installation, and eventual commissioning.