EDF signs PPA with RWE for 1.4 GW Sofia offshore wind project

EDF has signed a fifteen-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with RWE to purchase renewable electricity from Sofia, which will be one of the largest single offshore wind farms in the world due to start generating power in 2025 and set for full generation in 2026.

In what represents RWE and EDF’s largest renewable energy agreement to date, EDF will offtake all of the 6.5-terawatt-hours (TWh) of renewable wind energy that Sofia will produce each year. This equates to almost half of the electricity used in the North East of England annually or the equivalent of the power needs of over 1.2 million homes. Providing additional large-scale offshore wind capacity to support the UK in achieving its ambitions of net zero emissions by 2050.

With offshore installation expected to begin in 2023 and project completion due in 2026, Sofia will have a capacity of 1.4 GW, stretch across an area of the ocean around the same size as the Isle of Man (593 sq km), and consist of 100 turbines each standing at 252 meters tall. Its completion will not only represent a turning point for customers looking to use more renewable energy but also for the UK’s electricity market - it is estimated that Sofia will save more than 2.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions each year, the equivalent of flying between London and Sydney more than 1.3 million times.