Ofgem Opens Tender for RWE’s Sofia Offshore Wind Farm Transmission Links

February 27, 2025, by Adnan Memija

Ofgem is inviting tenders to own and operate electricity transmission links worth GBP 4 billion (about EUR 4.8 billion), connecting the Sofia offshore wind farm to Great Britain’s mainland energy network.

Ofgem has opened the Offshore Transmission Owner (OFTO) regime Tender Round 12, which invites investors to bid to own and operate infrastructure connecting RWE’s 1.4 GW Sofia offshore wind farm to the onshore electricity grid in North Yorkshire.

“OFTO is part of Ofgem’s work to attract investors into the UK to boost growth and build a stable and secure energy system to deliver clean power to people’s homes.  As well as successfully attracting the investment needed to upgrade our energy system, OFTO also ensures that we as regulator deliver a good deal for consumers and keep bills as low as possible,” said Beatrice Filkin, Ofgem Director of Major Projects.

The Sofia offshore wind farm will comprise 100 Siemens Gamesa 14-222 DD wind turbines, 44 of which will be equipped with recyclable blades.

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The project connects to the onshore electricity transmission network via electricity transmission assets including cables and both offshore and onshore converter stations and substations.

Located 195 kilometres off Britain’s Northeast coastline in the North Sea, the 1.4 GW wind farm is expected to power almost 1.2 million homes.

When it comes to Ofgem, the British energy regulator plans to launch Tender Round 13 later this year, anticipated to be its biggest tender round to date comprising transmission assets for the following wind farms: the 1.2 GW Dogger Bank C, the 1.1 GW Inch Cape, and the up to 1.4 GW East Anglia 3.