RWE has awarded a contract to CHC Helicopter for crew change support at the Sofia offshore wind farm, currently under construction on Dogger Bank, 195 kilometres from the North East coast of the UK.
According to CHC Helicopter, this is the first time RWE has contracted a helicopter service during the construction phase of an offshore wind farm project.
The Texas-headquartered helicopter operator will use a Leonardo AW139 aircraft to provide crew change support for the Sofia project, starting in September 2024. CHC will operate from its Norwich base to deliver the crew transport contract with RWE.
“Sofia’s distance from shore means that we need a first class helicopter service, and CHC demonstrated throughout our search that they have the right capabilities and ethos to partner with us” , said Jonathan Grigg , Senior Project Manager, RWE Sofia Offshore Wind Farm.
CHC is already flying offshore wind crews to and from Dogger Bank as the company secured a contract last year for Dogger Bank A, the first phase of the 3.6 GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm, a joint venture partnership between SSE Renewables, Equinor and Vårgrønn.
In the UK, CHC has also provided crew transportation support to Ørsted’s Hornsea 1 and 2 offshore wind farms since 2017, the helicopter operator says.
The 1.4 GW Sofia offshore wind farm will comprise 100 Siemens Gamesa 14 MW wind turbines and will be commissioned in 2026.
The project is currently in the foundation installation phase, with the offshore substation soon to be installed.