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RWE has reached a key milestone at its Sofia Offshore Wind Farm with the successful installation of all 150 recyclable wind turbine blades — marking the first large-scale use of this technology at an offshore wind farm in the UK. Each of the 50 turbines at Sofia is equipped with three recyclable blades manufactured by Siemens Gamesa at its Hull facility, using a specially designed resin that allows the materials to be easily separated and recycled at the end of their lifecycle.
Tobias Keitel, Chief Technical Officer, RWE Offshore Wind, said, “These latest construction achievements represent a key moment for RWE and Sofia. RWE continues to drive the delivery of one of the UK’s largest offshore wind projects, working collaboratively and safely with our partners to achieve our goals. Sofia remains firmly on track to complete full turbine installation within the first half of next year, with full commercial operations expected in the third quarter of 2026.”
This achievement comes as the project surpasses the halfway mark in offshore turbine installation, with 62 of the 100 Siemens Gamesa 14 MW turbines now in place, standing 252 meters above sea level and located 195 kilometers off the UK’s east coast. Once fully operational in September 2026, Sofia will generate 1.4 GW of clean power — enough to supply around 1.2 million UK homes.
The recyclable blade technology builds on RWE’s pioneering deployment at Germany’s Kaskasi Offshore Wind Farm and reinforces the company’s commitment to a circular, low-carbon energy future. RWE also plans to install recyclable blades on select turbines at its Thor Offshore Wind Project in Denmark, continuing to lead the industry in sustainable innovation.
