Danish energy company Ørsted and Nuveen Infrastructure have started commercial operation at the 253MW Gode Wind 3 Offshore Wind Farm in the German North Sea.
The project, following the completion of offshore construction and commissioning, is now generating renewable electricity sufficient to power around 250,000 homes in Germany.
The wind farm reached its final testing phase conclusion in late February 2025, marking its full commissioning. It represents Ørsted’s fifth operational offshore wind facility in Germany.
Gode Wind 3 will be succeeded by the Borkum Riffgrund 3 development, delivering 913MW, which completed its turbine installations in early January.
Currently, Ørsted is positioned to supply approximately 1.6 million German residences with renewable power through its existing offshore wind infrastructure. The company holds a substantial share, nearly 20%, of Germany’s entire offshore wind capacity.
Ørsted chief operating officer Patrick Harnett 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.”
Nuveen Infrastructure is an infrastructure investment firm, which manages assets exceeding $30bn. With more than 7.6GW within its portfolio, Nuveen Infrastructure can deliver renewable energy to over four million homes worldwide.
Ørsted and Nuveen Infrastructure hold stakes of 50% each in the Gode Wind 3 Offshore Wind Farm.
Construction on Gode Wind 3 began at sea in August 2023 with the installation of initial foundations.
The wind farm features 23 Siemens Gamesa turbines capable of producing 11MW each and sporting a rotor diameter of 200m, making them the largest currently operational model in German waters. This new turbine generation yields up to a 40% increase in annual energy output compared to older variants.
Electricity from Gode Wind 3 will flow through an offshore substation and a converter station managed by TenneT before entering Lower Saxony’s extra-high voltage grid.
Ørsted will oversee operations from their Norden-Norddeich port facility in Lower Saxony. The company will receive an average rate of € 81 per MWh for power generated at this site.
The project was awarded as two separate undertakings in 2017 and 2018. Initial green energy production was achieved in May 2024.
