Orsted and Nuveen Infrastructure’s 253MW Gode Wind 3 offshore wind farm is now operating at full power.
Final testing for Gode Wind 3 was completed in late February and the project is now fully commissioned.
The project is Orsted’s fifth operational offshore wind farm in Germany.
The offshore wind farm will be followed by the 913MW Borkum Riffgrund 3 (pictured), for which the last wind turbine was installed in early January.
In Germany, Orsted can now supply the equivalent of approx. 1.6 million households with renewable electricity from offshore wind alone.
The company operates almost 20% of Germany’s total offshore wind capacity.
Patrick Harnett, Chief Operating Officer at Orsted, said: “Offshore wind is a key technology in Germany’s transition to green energy.
“With the completion of Gode Wind 3, Ørsted now has five operational offshore wind farms in the German part of the North Sea, producing homegrown renewable energy at large scale.
“We’ll further expand our supply of green power to German households and businesses when our next offshore wind farm, Borkum Riffgrund 3, comes online in 2026.”
Jordi Francesch, Managing Director of Renewable Energy Investments at Nuveen Infrastructure, said: “We are thrilled to announce the successful commencement of operations at the Gode Wind 3 Offshore Wind Farm, a landmark achievement in our partnership with Ørsted.
“This milestone underscores our shared commitment to advancing renewable and independent energy solutions and delivering sustainable value for society, the environment, and our investors.”
Felix Gschnell, Programme Director for Gode Wind 3, said: “I’m very proud to see that Gode Wind 3 now completely feeds in power to the German grid, having started its full commercial operation.
“Completing this project in a challenging industry environment has been a massive effort for our team and our entire supply chain – to whom I would like to say a big thank you.”
Gode Wind 3 consists of 23 11MW turbines from Siemens Gamesa.
With a rotor diameter of 200 metres, this wind turbine model is the largest running wind turbine in German waters.
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 Orsted’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 €81/MWh.
For the installation of three of the monopile foundations, Orsted 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’s manufacturing and logistics sites have included locations in Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands and France.