The first wind turbine has been successfully installed at the Borkum Riffgrund 3 offshore wind farm in Germany.
Upon completion, this project will boast an impressive installed capacity of 913 MW, making it the largest offshore wind farm in Germany.
Notably, Borkum Riffgrund 3 is the world’s first offshore wind farm awarded without government subsidies, thanks to numerous long-term corporate power purchase agreements (CPPAs) secured by Ørsted with industrial and technology clients. Ørsted shares ownership of the project with Nuveen Infrastructure.
A Significant Milestone in Germany’s Green Transition
This achievement comes on the heels of the successful delivery of first power from the 253 MW Gode Wind 3 offshore wind farm, which Ørsted and Nuveen Infrastructure are constructing concurrently with Borkum Riffgrund 3.
The combined output of these two offshore wind farms will nearly double Ørsted’s total installed capacity in Germany, making a substantial contribution to the country’s transition to renewable energy. The commissioning of Borkum Riffgrund 3 is anticipated in 2025.
Ørsted’s Record-Breaking Construction Pipeline
In 2024, Ørsted is undertaking its most extensive construction pipeline ever, with approximately 7.6 GW of offshore wind projects underway across three continents. This includes the 2.8 GW Hornsea 3 in the UK, the world’s largest single offshore wind farm.
In May, Ørsted also celebrated the successful installation of the first foundation at its 704 MW Revolution Wind offshore wind farm off the US East Coast.
Peter Obling, Head of Continental Europe at Ørsted, emphasized the groundbreaking nature of Borkum Riffgrund 3, stating, “Borkum Riffgrund 3 is an icebreaker in offshore wind. It was the first offshore wind project in the world to be awarded on a merchant basis, and it’s the first offshore wind farm in Germany to break the 900 MW-mark.”
Collaboration and Commitment to Decarbonization
Jordi Francesch, Managing Director of Renewable Energy Investments at Nuveen Infrastructure, expressed delight in Nuveen Infrastructure’s partnership with Ørsted, highlighting their shared commitment to decarbonizing the German electricity market.
Felix Gschnell, Programme Director for both Borkum Riffgrund 3 and Gode Wind 3, emphasized the project team’s pride in reaching this significant milestone and their dedication to completing the project safely and on schedule.
Technical Details and Partnerships
The first wind turbine at Borkum Riffgrund 3 was installed by the Seaway Ventus installation vessel from Seaway 7, with the remaining installations to be shared equally with Wind Osprey from Cadeler.
The offshore wind farm will comprise 83 Siemens Gamesa wind turbines, each with an 11 MW rated capacity, and is situated approximately 72 km off the Lower Saxony coast in Germany.
Borkum Riffgrund 3 is unique as the first Ørsted offshore wind farm in Germany without an offshore substation (OSS).
Instead, the wind turbines will be directly connected to the DolWin epsilon offshore converter platform operated by the German transmission system operator, TenneT, using 66 kV connection cables.
Strategic Offtake Agreements
Ørsted secured the rights to build Borkum Riffgrund 3 in the 2017 and 2018 German offshore wind auctions with zero-subsidy bids. The project’s revenue relies on long-term power CPPAs with companies like Amazon, BASF, Covestro, Energie-Handels-Gesellschaft/REWE Group, and Google. These agreements provide price stability for both Ørsted and its customers.