RWE picks Blyth for build-out of one of the world’s largest offshore wind farms

• RWE will build its offshore base at Port of Blyth, where the UK’s first offshore wind turbines are located
• Selection is the latest multi-port strategy for the 1.4 GW Sofia offshore wind farm
• The expanding Grimsby Hub has already been chosen as the base of operations in Sofia

RWE has signed up Blyth Harbour as an offshore construction base for its 1.4 gigawatts (GW) Offshore wind farm Sofiaone of the world’s largest offshore wind projects.

Blyth became operational in December 2000 and was home to the UK’s first offshore wind farm pilot project, then operated by E.ON Climate and Renewables, whose operations are now owned by RWE. Coming full circle, Blyth will now play a central role in managing the offshore construction activities of RWE’s state-of-the-art and state-of-the-art Sofia offshore wind farm, which is located 195km off the UK coast on Dogger Bank and where the onshore works are well under way advance.

The newly built Offshore Construction Base (OCB) will be located at Port of Blyth’s recently redeveloped Bates Clean Energy Terminal and will become the management center for the vessels and logistics of the RWE project throughout the offshore construction phase in 2024 during the three and a half year construction period of Port of Blyth maintained in support of the project.

Matthew Swanwick, RWE Project Manager from Sofia said: “Choosing the base for the offshore construction in Sofia was a key decision as it will be the home of the team for more than three years and will play a crucial role in the successful completion of the project. The Port of Blyth offers us not only a strategic location and access to a strong maritime supply chain, but also an impressive new facility that will ensure a legacy beyond the project.’

Supporting 24/7 activities and with immediate and easy access to the sea, the Sofia Offshore Construction Base will have direct access to the port’s numerous services as well as to the heavy-duty quay of the newly developed terminal. Upon completion of the base in March 2023, a state-of-the-art Service Operations Vessel (SOV) will visit the port every three weeks. During this time there will be a full day of crew transfers and ship replenishment. SOVs provide offshore construction teams with a floating home for up to three weeks, ensuring on-site experts are constantly available, improving project delivery efficiency.

Once construction is complete, RWE will operate the wind farm from its Grimsby Hub, which will be expanded at its base at the Royal Dock in Grimsby. However, the buildings are not wasted and are retained by the port for future use.

That The 1.4 GW Sofia offshore wind farm project is located on the Dogger Bank in the central North Sea, 195 km off the north-east coast of Great Britain. The Port of Blyth’s strategic location in the middle of the North Sea ensures that it is well positioned to support wind farm development along the UK East Coast.

RWE is one of the world’s leading providers of offshore wind energy and a key partner in achieving the UK Government’s 50GW offshore wind target by 2030. Across the UK and Ireland, RWE has around 8 gigawatts (GW) (6.1 GW proportionate share) of offshore installations capacity under construction or in development.

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Source: RWE