Sofia Offshore Site Investigation Enters Final Stretch

Fugro has commenced the final phase of the pre-construction site investigation at innogy’s Sofia offshore wind project in the UK.

Jack-up vessel Haven Seariser 2 will work in the nearshore area between Redcar and Marske-by-the-Sea from this week to conclude the six-month offshore site investigation.

The 29-meter vessel will carry out borehole surveys for approximately a month, which will together with earlier surveys gather data for the planning of the final design and installation methodology for the main transmission cable where it reaches landfall.

From landfall, onshore cables will transport the power to a new onshore converter station to be built near the village of Lazenby, adjacent to the Wilton Complex.

“The information gathered during these borehole surveys will be used to fine tune the design of the export cable and also how it will be installed,” said Sofia’s Principal Geotechnical Engineer Andy Barwise.

“A technique called horizontal directional drilling is likely to be used to install the cable underneath the intertidal area and the beach, and these surveys will help us refine that planned methodology.”

Sofia, the largest project in innogy’s development portfolio, will comprise 100 Siemens Gamesa 14 MW turbines located 165km off the North East coast on Dogger Bank.

The 1.4 GW wind farm is expected to enter onshore construction early next year, with commissioning scheduled for 2026.