More renewable power from offshore wind – Gode Wind 3 starts commercial operation

After finished offshore construction and commissioning work, Ørsted and Nuveen Infrastructure’s Gode Wind 3 Offshore Wind Farm is now fully operational, producing enough renewable energy to power the equivalent of 250,000 households in Germany.

Gode Wind 3 Offshore Wind Farm, which is jointly owned by Ørsted and Nuveen Infrastructure, is now fully operational, feeding power into the German grid. Gode Wind 3 is Ørsted’s fifth operational offshore wind farm in , and with an installed capacity of 253 MW, it can supply the equivalent of 250,000  households in Germany with renewable power. The offshore wind farm will be followed by the 913 MW Borkum Riffgrund 3, for which 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 $30bn AUM. Across its 7.6+ GW of portfolio capacity, the firm is capable of powering more than 4 million homes with renewable energy.

Duncan Clark, Head of Region Europe Development, at Ørsted, 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 3 Windfarm, a landmark achievement in our partnership with Orsted. 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 an economically 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.”

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 state of Lower Saxony. Operations will continue to be managed from the company's hub at the port in Lower Saxony, Germany. 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.

About Ørsted

The Ørsted vision is a world that runs entirely on green energy. Ørsted develops, constructs, and operates offshore and onshore wind farms, solar farms, energy storage facilities, renewable hydrogen and green fuels facilities, and bioenergy plants. Ørsted is recognised on the CDP Climate Change A List as a global leader on climate action and was the first energy company in the world to have its science-based net-zero emissions target validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Headquartered in Denmark, Ørsted employs approx. 8,400 people. Ørsted's shares are listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen (Orsted). In 2023, the group's revenue was DKK 79.3 billion (EUR 10.6 billion).