Orsted and Nuveen Infrastructure have started commercial operation of the 913 MW Borkum Riffgrund 3 offshore wind farm, adding one of Germany’s largest operating offshore wind projects to the country’s renewable energy portfolio.
Orsted Borkum Riffgrund 3 offshore wind project is located in the German North Sea. Borkum Riffgrund 3 combines large-scale offshore wind technology with long-term electricity contracts covering 786 MW for major industrial, retail and technology companies. The project is particularly significant because parts of the development originated from groundbreaking zero-subsidy offshore wind bids, demonstrating how falling technology costs and corporate demand can support renewable energy investment without conventional government subsidies.
The commissioning also advances Orsted’s 8.1 GW offshore wind construction programme, which is expected to increase the renewable energy developer’s total installed offshore wind capacity to more than 18 GW when completed.
Borkum Riffgrund 3 Adds 913 MW Offshore Wind Capacity
Borkum Riffgrund 3 consists of 83 Siemens Gamesa offshore wind turbines, each rated at 11 MW. The SG 11.0-200 DD direct-drive turbines feature a 200-metre rotor, while their B97 blades are approximately 97 metres long. Each turbine has a swept area of around 31,400 square metres.
Siemens Gamesa secured 913 MW turbine order from Orsted in 2022 along with a multi-year turbine service agreement.
The offshore wind farm is located approximately 72 km from the German coast in the North Sea and occupies an area of around 75 square kilometres.
Construction involved an extensive European offshore wind supply chain. Turbines and foundations came from Germany and Denmark, cables were supplied from Germany and France, while installation vessels were sourced from the Netherlands and Belgium. Around 100 German companies received contracts connected with construction of the wind farm.
786 MW Contracted to Amazon, BASF, Covestro, REWE and Google
One of the most important features of Borkum Riffgrund 3 is its portfolio of long-term corporate power purchase agreements, or PPAs.
Orsted has secured agreements covering a combined 786 MW, equivalent to about 86 percent of the project’s 913 MW capacity.
Amazon has contracted 350 MW, making it the largest disclosed corporate offtaker. BASF has secured 186 MW, while Covestro and Energie-Handels-Gesellschaft/REWE Group have each contracted 100 MW. Google accounts for another 50 MW.
The agreements run for between 10 and 25 years.
The diversity of customers is important for Germany’s renewable energy market because the electricity will support data centres and digital infrastructure as well as chemical manufacturing and retail operations. Long-term PPAs also provide greater revenue visibility for renewable energy developers while giving corporate buyers more predictable access to renewable electricity.
Borkum Riffgrund 3 Emerged From Historic Zero-Subsidy Offshore Wind Auction
Borkum Riffgrund 3 has particular significance in the development of the European offshore wind market.
The current project combines three developments originally awarded to Orsted through German offshore wind auctions in 2017 and 2018: Borkum Riffgrund West 1, Borkum Riffgrund West 2 and OWP West. The developments were subsequently combined under the Borkum Riffgrund 3 name.
In Germany’s 2017 offshore auction, Orsted submitted bids of EUR 0 per MWh for OWP West and Borkum Riffgrund West 2. The zero-subsidy approach meant the projects would not receive a government subsidy on top of wholesale electricity prices.
The auction was regarded as a major milestone for offshore wind because it demonstrated expectations that larger turbines, industrial-scale development and declining technology costs could make future offshore projects significantly more competitive.
Corporate PPAs subsequently became an important part of Borkum Riffgrund 3’s commercial model.
First Electricity Reached German Grid in December 2025
Borkum Riffgrund 3 delivered its first electricity to the German grid on December 3, 2025, marking the transition from construction and installation towards full operation.
Grid connection has also been an important element of the project. Germany’s offshore transmission system links Borkum Riffgrund 3 through the DolWin5 offshore grid connection, also identified as NOR-1-1.
Borkum Riffgrund 3 introduced another technical change to Orsted’s German portfolio: it is the company’s first German offshore wind farm constructed without its own offshore transformer substation. This approach is designed to simplify offshore infrastructure and reflects continuing changes in the engineering of large offshore wind projects.
Orsted German Offshore Wind Capacity Reaches Around 2.5 GW
Borkum Riffgrund 3 becomes Orsted’s sixth operational offshore wind farm in Germany.
Its commissioning follows the 253 MW Gode Wind 3, which entered operation in early 2025 and is also jointly owned by Orsted and Nuveen Infrastructure.
Adding Borkum Riffgrund 3 increases Orsted’s installed German offshore wind capacity to approximately 2.5 GW. The company says this portfolio can generate renewable electricity equivalent to the consumption of around 2.5 million German households.
Orsted now accounts for approximately 25 percent of Germany’s installed offshore wind capacity, reinforcing its position as the country’s leading offshore wind operator.
Operations and maintenance for Borkum Riffgrund 3 and Orsted’s other German offshore projects are being supported from Norden-Norddeich and Emden in Lower Saxony, extending the project’s economic impact beyond construction.
Borkum Riffgrund 3 Supports Germany’s Energy Security Strategy
The 913 MW project demonstrates how Germany’s offshore wind expansion is increasingly linked to industrial decarbonisation, data-centre electricity demand and energy security.
Rather than relying entirely on the wholesale electricity market, Borkum Riffgrund 3 has secured most of its capacity through long-term contracts with large electricity consumers. The 786 MW of contracted capacity provides a direct link between investment in offshore renewable generation and the decarbonisation strategies of companies including Amazon, Google, BASF, Covestro and REWE.
For Orsted, commercial operation of Borkum Riffgrund 3 represents another step in its 8.1 GW offshore construction portfolio and expands its German offshore fleet to around 2.5 GW.
For Germany, the addition of 913 MW of domestic renewable power provides new electricity supply for industrial and digital customers while reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels.
The combination of 83 large-scale 11 MW turbines, zero-subsidy auction origins, 786 MW of corporate PPAs and participation from around 100 German companies makes Borkum Riffgrund 3 an important benchmark for the next phase of Europe’s offshore wind industry.
SHAFANA FAZAL
