Offshore construction has started on RWE's 1.4 GW Sofia offshore wind farm on Dogger Bank in the central North Sea off the northeast coast of the UK.

The offshore works are kicking off with the laying of the first section of high voltage direct current (HVDC) export cable which will be done by Prysmian’s Leonardo da Vinci vessel.

Prysmian’s 170-metre-long vessel will operate out of the Middlesbrough Port and will lay two 130-kilometre sections of cable in parallel.

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Leonardo da Vinci will then move away from the coast, laying the full length of cable along its set route towards the offshore wind farm, located 195 kilometres from the nearest point on the UK’s northeast coast.

Installation of two remaining 90-kilometre sections of marine export cable is planned for next year. By late 2024, Leonardo da Vinci will have laid four sections of ±320kV HVDC marine export cables with XLPE insulation, totalling 440 kilometres plus the accompanying communications cables.