Danish energy company Ørsted and its partner Nuveen Infrastructure have reached a significant milestone with the Borkum Riffgrund 3 offshore wind farm, which began supplying electricity to Germany’s grid on 3 December 2025.
Located around 75 km² in the North Sea, about 72 km off Lower Saxony’s coast, Borkum Riffgrund 3 features 83 turbines, each with an output of 11 MW, totaling 913 MW of capacity.
This marks the start of the final commissioning phase, with full commercial operation expected in Q1 2026. Upon completion, Ørsted’s total offshore wind capacity in Germany will reach approximately 2.5 GW.
Key Highlights
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- Borkum Riffgrund 3 is now Germany’s largest offshore wind farm by installed capacity.
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- The project uses a 66 kV direct connection to the DolWin epsilon offshore converter, marking the first time Ørsted has deployed this substation-free design in Germany.
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- Long-term corporate power purchase agreements (CPPAs) have been secured for 786 MW of output, with clients including Amazon, BASF, Covestro, REWE Group, and Google.
The offshore installation, completed in early 2025 with the help of vessels such as Seaway Ventus, operated by Seaway7, took roughly six months to complete.
Why This Matters
The commissioning of Borkum Riffgrund 3 represents a significant step forward in Germany’s renewable energy transition. Once fully operational, the wind farm will provide considerable renewable energy, helping to reduce industrial reliance on fossil fuels. The project’s innovative design, particularly the direct connection to the converter platform, underscores evolving efficiencies in offshore wind deployment.
For Ørsted and Nuveen, this development not only demonstrates engineering and logistical success but also strengthens their position in Europe’s offshore wind market and sets a new standard for subsidy-free, corporate-backed offshore wind projects.
