The bubble curtain system was also deployed at EnBW’s He Dreiht offshore wind farm in Germany last year, as well as the Vineyard Wind 1 project in the United States.
The noise abatement system involves a perforated hose placed on the seabed around the installation site to form a 180-meter-wide ring. Compressed air is then pumped through the hose, generating a continuous stream of bubbles that rise to the surface. This bubble barrier effectively breaks up and slows down the sound waves, significantly reducing noise levels during piling operations, RWE explains.
The monopile foundations at the Sofia project site are being installed by Van Oord using its jack-up vessel Aeolus.
In March, more than 60 out of the 100 wind turbine foundations were in place, with the first wind turbine also installed by Cadeler’s new vessel Wind Peak.
The 1.4 GW offshore wind farm is expected to be commissioned in 2026, when it will be capable of generating enough electricity to power the equivalent of 1.2 million UK homes.