Germany-based Innogy SE (www.innogy.com) has chosen the latest ‘state of the art’ 14MW offshore wind turbines for its 1.4GW Sofia Offshore Wind Farm, located 195km from the UK coast on Dogger Bank in the shallow area of the central North Sea. A corresponding preferred supplier agreement was signed with Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy SA last week.

The agreement includes the manufacture, installation and commissioning of 100 turbines, each standing 262m tall. The execution of the agreement will be subject to contract and final investment decision, anticipated in the first quarter of 2021.

Sven Utermöhlen, Innogy senior vice president renewables operations offshore, said: “The selection of these ‘state of the art’ offshore wind turbines for Sofia, our largest offshore wind development project, reflects our ambition to strive for continuous innovation.

Siemens Gamesa’s towering 14MW machine is a perfect match for our flagship Sofia project, together cementing offshore wind‘s central role in the world’s clean energy future. This turbine embodies the impressive technology we need to build our ground-breaking project, that is further from shore and more technically challenging than any of its predecessors.”

Sofia is set to be the first European project to install the new 14MW model (SG 14-222 DD), that will be market-ready by 2024, right on time for installation on Dogger Bank.

Construction of the wind farm is expected to start onshore at its Teesside converter station site in early 2021, with offshore construction expected to get underway in 2023.

The 100 turbines together could generate enough green electricity to satisfy the annual electricity needs of almost 1.2 million UK homes.

Andreas Nauen, Siemens Gamesa CEO, said: “We are delighted that Innogy has shown its confidence in our new machines and proven its commitment to creating a clean future with us now.

“As an economic recovery around the globe safely and slowly begins, we are confident that offshore wind power will strongly contribute to providing jobs and energy stability at attractive prices.”

This announcement follows the recent news that Siemens Gamesa would also supply the 38 turbines for Innogy’s 342MW Kaskasi Offshore Wind Farm, located 35km north of the island of Heligoland in the German North Sea.

The order comes directly after the UK saw a record-breaking period of more than 60 days’ coal-free energy provided to the National Grid.

This development will build upon the progress made by renewable energy in 2019, where the UK saw record levels of energy consumption provided by renewables and saw record-low prices for clean energy, dipping to just £39.50 per MW/h.