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Ørsted and Nuveen Infrastructure recently completed final testing for the Gode Wind 3 Offshore Wind Farm, and the project is now fully commissioned. Ørsted now operates its fifth offshore wind farm in Germany. With an installed capacity of 253 MW, the farm will supply renewable power to the equivalent of 250,000 households. The project will be followed by the 913 MW Borkum Riffgrund 3, where the last wind turbine was installed in early January.
In Germany, Ørsted can now supply the equivalent of approx. 1.6 million households with renewable electricity from offshore wind alone. Ørsted is the market leader, operating almost 20 % of Germany’s total offshore wind capacity.
Nuveen Infrastructure is one of the largest managers of infrastructure investment around the world with over USD 30 billion assets under management. Across its 7.6+ GW of portfolio capacity, the firm is capable of powering more than 4 million homes with renewable energy.
Patrick Harnett, Chief Operating Officer at Ørsted, highlighted that offshore wind is crucial to Germany’s green energy transition. With Gode Wind 3’s completion, Ørsted now operates five offshore wind farms in the German North Sea, producing large-scale renewable energy. He also mentioned that the upcoming Borkum Riffgrund 3 will further expand green power supply by 2026.
Jordi Francesch, Managing Director of Renewable Energy Investments at Nuveen Infrastructure, celebrated the successful operation of Gode Wind 3, emphasizing its importance as a milestone in their partnership with Ørsted. He noted the shared commitment to renewable energy solutions and creating sustainable value for society, the environment, and investors.
Felix Gschnell, Programme Director for Gode Wind 3, expressed pride in the project’s completion, which now feeds power into the German grid. He thanked the team and supply chain for their efforts in overcoming the challenges faced during the project’s execution.
In August 2023, construction of Gode Wind 3 started at sea, when the first foundation was installed. Gode Wind 3 consists of 23 wind turbines from Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, each with a capacity of 11 MW. With a rotor diameter of 200 metres, this wind turbine model is currently the largest running wind turbine in German waters. The new generation of wind turbines offers up to 40 % higher annual energy yield compared to the 8 MW wind turbine.
The electricity generated at Gode Wind 3 will be transmitted via the wind farm’s own offshore substation and a converter station by TenneT, the German transmission system operator (TSO), entering the extra-high voltage grid onshore in the German state of Lower Saxony. Operations will continue to be managed from Ørsted’s hub at the port of Norden-Norddeich in Lower Saxony. For the electricity production at Gode Wind 3, Ørsted will now receive a weighted average price of EUR 81 per MWh.
Innovation and European co-operation
For the installation of three of the monopile foundations, Ørsted used a newly developed method – completely replacing the conventional installation method involving pile driving. The implementation of the new installation technology has resulted in a substantial decrease in underwater noise levels. Gode Wind 3 has been an international collaboration between Ørsted and contractors from several European countries. The manufacturing and logistics sites have included locations in Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, and France.
