First turbine in the Gode Wind 3 offshore wind farm. Source: Ørsted

With the installation of the first wind turbine, Ørsted's Gode Wind 3 offshore wind project  continues to take shape. The first 11-megawatt system was installed on April 23rd in the construction site, around 32km off the island of Norderney, by Cadeler's newly upgraded installation ship Wind Osprey . Yesterday, the plant produced electricity for the first time and fed it into the transmission network. The new turbine model comes from manufacturer Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy. The 'SG 11.0-200 DD' is currently the largest system in the German North Sea with a nominal output of 11 megawatts and a rotor diameter of 200 meters. In addition, 22 additional turbines will be built and put into operation in the wind farm in the coming weeks. In addition to Cadeler, the installation will also be carried out in equal parts by the company Seaway7, with their installation ship Seaway Ventus .

Jörg Kubitza, Managing Director of Ørsted in Germany: 
“With the first electricity fed in from Gode Wind 3, we are further advancing the transformation in Germany. The project is a living energy transition, a real European cooperation, with international suppliers and partners. I am pleased that our German supply chain in particular plays an important role in realizing the wind farm. However, our industry faces major challenges for future offshore wind expansion in Germany, which must be addressed as quickly as possible. Production and port capacities must now be expanded sensibly so that we can achieve the high expansion goals together.”

Matthew Margarian, responsible Ørsted project manager for the Gode Wind 3 wind turbines: 
“It is a great success, together with our partners, to create the largest wind turbine to date in in German waters and now be able to feed in the first electricity. With this milestone we are ushering in the next generation of offshore wind farms in Germany. The new generation of turbines enables us to produce green electricity even more efficiently and in large volumes."

Martin Gerhardt, Managing Director of Siemens Gamesa in Germany: 
"We are pleased that we can make a major contribution to affordable, clean and safe energy with wind turbines from our European production network “To be able to produce in the North Sea and at the same time generate added value and jobs locally.”

Jordi Francesch, Managing Director Renewable Energy Investments at Nuveen Infrastructure, said: 
“The successful installation of the first turbine is an important milestone for Gode Wind 3, for the German and European energy transition and for Nuveen Infrastructure and our ongoing commitment to renewable energy. Working with our partners and deploying the most powerful and largest commercial turbine in German waters, today underlines our continued commitment to lead the way in innovative investment decisions that create long-term and sustainable value for society, the environment and investors."

The electricity generated in Gode Wind 3 is fed into the park's own offshore substation, from where it is then forwarded to the converter station of the transmission system operator TenneT. The goods are then transported to the Lower Saxony coast, to Hilgenriedersiel in East Frisia. In total, Gode Wind 3 has an installed capacity of 253 megawatts. The green electricity generated by Gode Wind 3 is equivalent to the consumption of a quarter of a million German households. Gode ​​Wind 3 is owned equally by Nuveen Infrastructure and Ørsted.

New generation of turbines with added value in Germany

The new generation of systems offers up to 40 percent higher annual energy yield compared to the previous model with 8 megawatts of output. The nacelles (“Nacelle”) of the wind turbines were manufactured in the Cuxhaven factory of the manufacturer Siemens Gamesa. They form the heart of the system, to which the 97m long rotor blades are attached. The rotor blades are manufactured at the Siemens Gamesa site in Aalborg, Denmark. After pre-assembly in Esbjerg, Denmark, the components are shipped from there to the wind farm. In addition to the 23 wind turbines for Gode Wind, 83 further turbines are being prepared for installation here for the immediately following Ørsted project Borkum Riffgrund 3 (913 MW). For the inner park cabling of the systems, connecting cables from the manufacturer Prysmian Group, which were manufactured in Nordenham, are used.

Ørsted's new projects in Germany Parallel to Gode Wind 3, the installation of the 83 turbines in the Borkum Riffgrund 3 wind farm will also begin in the coming weeks. The project locations are close to the company's existing wind farms, Borkum Riffgrund 1 and 2 and Gode Wind 1 and 2. This will double Ørsted's installed offshore wind power capacity in Germany in the future to around 2.5 gigawatts of output. The two new projects are expected to be fully commissioned in 2024 and 2025. As with Ørsted's previous offshore wind farms, operation and maintenance takes place from Norden-Norddeich and Emden in East Frisia.

KeyFacts Energy: Ørsted Germany country profile