Borkum Riffgrund 3
First zero-subsidy offshore wind farm globally. No offshore substation - direct 66 kV connection to TenneT's DolWin epsilon platform.
Status
Operationallifecycle stage
Ownership
Ørsted — 50% ◆
Nuveen Infrastructure — 50% ◆Location
GermanyNorth Sea
Technology
Capacity
913 MW ◆
Turbines
83 × 11 MW ◆
Model
Siemens Gamesa SG 11-0-200 DD ◆
Foundation
Monopile ◆
Site & conditions
Site rights
Seabed rights held ∴
Origination
BNetzA Offshore Wind Auction 2017 (transitional) · 2017 ·
Water depth
28–34 m ◆
Distance from shore
72 km ◆
Wind speed
10.3 m/s @ 150 m ≈
Revenue & grid
Offtake
PPA ◆
Grid
Secured · 2021 ◆
Connection
Direct 66 kV connection to TenneT's DolWin epsilon offshore … ◆
Schedule
FID
1 Dec 2021 ◆
COD
Aug 2026 ◆
Project timeline & ownership verified milestones on the spine · ownership from Hafrok’s transactions record
Origination · 2017-04
BNetzA Offshore Wind Auction 2017 (transitional)
- Awarded to
- DONG Energy (now Ørsted)
- Basis
- integrated tender
From the auction results — the round that created the project.
Farmdown · 2021-10
Ørsted → Glennmont Partners (Nuveen) 50%
- Stake
- 50%
- Consideration
- not disclosed
- Announced
- 2021-10
- Closed
- 2022-02
- Project stage
- pre-FID
Ørsted sold 50% to consortium led by Glennmont Partners (also including TIAA, Kansai Electric Power, US and German institutional investors) for ~DKK 9bn (~EUR 1.21bn). Ørsted's first farm-down signed before FID (FID reached end-2021). Financial close Feb 2022. Project commissioned Q1 2026.
Evidence
- orsted.com — News ↗ 2021-10 ◆ held
- dredgewire.com — Ørsted brings in Glennmont Partners as a 50% shareholder of Borkum Riffgrund 3 Offshore Wind Farm ↗ 2021-10 ◆ held
- Ørsted — Orsted — q2 financial report 2022 ↗ 2022-Q2 ◆ held
From Hafrok’s transactions record
Dashed tick marks today (9 Sep 2026). The teal diamond on the spine is origination — the seabed award or round that created the project. Every other ownership event lives in the band below: one station per recorded deal, dated at its label, in deal order rather than to calendar scale. Secondary trades appear only at the interchanges; grey lines are parties whose entry or exit Hafrok’s record does not hold.
Announced-COD history: 2025→2025→2025→2026-Q1→2026-Q1→2026-Q3→2026-08 · 7 recorded revisions · slipped +1.1 yr (first announced 2025)
Revenue & offtake zero-bid award · bilateral offtake
Auction won at €0.00/MWh — no state price support
Award€0.00/MWh ◆
RoundBNetzA Offshore Wind Auction 2017 (transitional) · Apr 2017
Awarded capacity480 MW
The award carries no state price support — revenue rests on bilaterally contracted offtake. Corporate PPA contracts are not yet recorded as structured data; the Revenue & offtake rows carry what the record's sources state.
Installation how the build is going · from satellite counts and Hafrok’s registers
Satellite installation tracker
counted from satellite radar images · a structure standing in the sea on a given date, not a turbine producing power · a guide, not a sourced fact
Installation · counted from satellite
Foundations83 of 83≈100% · first seen 2023-12-18
Turbines81 of 83≈98% · first seen 2023-12-18
Latest count2026-08-31from 523 satellite passes · 1 substation platform left out so the counts compare with the turbine number · anything first seen in the last 60 days is not yet confirmed
Hafrok counts foundations and turbines from satellite radar images (≈): a structure is counted once it is seen standing in the sea, which is not the same as producing power. A structure first seen in the last 60 days is not yet confirmed, because on a single image a freshly set foundation and a ship holding position look alike. Substation platforms are left out so the counts compare with the number of turbines. Rows marked with a dot (·) come from Hafrok’s own registers; a supplier or contract appears only where a source states it — everything else reads “not recorded”, never guessed.
Structures standing over time · count
strong line = confirmed · light line = seen in the last 60 days, not yet confirmed · the chart counts every structure (83 turbines + 1 platform); the table counts turbines only
foundationsturbines up (a substation top being set in place counts here too)
Installation contracts
FoundationsLes Alizés◇Jan De Nul · foundation installation vessel · 2023 → 2024 · Completed
TurbinesWind Osprey◇Cadeler · turbine installation vessel · 2024 → 2025 · Completed
TurbinesSeaway Ventus◇Seaway7 · foundation and turbine installation vessel · 2024-06 → 2025 · CompletedSatellite image
Image taken2026-09-06≈Copernicus Sentinel-1 radar satellite, southbound pass
Farm covered100%≈the whole farm lies inside the image
Structures ringed84 confirmed · 0 not yet confirmed≈as counted on 2026-08-31 · the image is newer than the count, so a bright spot without a ring may be a structure not yet counted
Construction ports
PortEemshaven ◆·marshalling harbour · quay 5000 m · crane 50 t · draft 14 m
Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2026, processed by ESA and by Microsoft Planetary Computer.
Latest satellite radar image · 2026-09-06
a radar picture, not a photograph: the sea is dark, steel is bright · black is beyond the edge of the image
confirmed structure (84)seen recently, not yet confirmed (0)probably a substation platform (a larger structure than a turbine; the register above has the facts)farm boundary
Grid connection
from Hafrok’s substation, converter and cable registers
Offshore platforms · 1
Offshore substationNone by design·66 kV array cables connect directly to TenneT's DolWin5 converter platform (DolWin epsilon) — no farm-owned OSS
HVDC systemDolWin5·900 MW · ±320 kV · in service 2025-10
Converter supplierHitachi Energy·DolWin5 · Seatrium (ex-Keppel FELS), Singapore; completed at Aibel, Haugesund, Norway · for TenneT
Grid connection · ready in time?
when each part of the grid connection is due, against the start date the developer states (black line) · a bar spans the whole year, quarter or month the source gives
installed or in serviceexpected deliveryearlier date that was later moved
Sources & verification
18/19 fields verified · rests on 17 sources (16 primary) · ◆ 14 documents held
◆Verified≈Modelled◇Sourced∴Inferred⌁Convention○Unverified∅No source·Derived
Numbers are stable citation ids — grouped by source class, so they are not consecutive.
Regulator2
[1]
Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie (BSH)2021-10-13◆ Planfeststellungsbeschluss Offshore-Wind…
“BSH Az: 5111/Borkum Riffgrund 3/PFV/O3105 Hamburg, den 13.10.2021 … Der Planfeststellungsbeschluss umfasst 83 (dreiundachtzig) Windenergieanlagen … Das Vorhabengebiet umfasst eine Fläche von 75,4 km²…”
supportsConsentTurbinesWater depthConsent granted
[19]
Bundesnetzagentur — Marktstammdatenregister2026-08-23◆ Marktstammdatenregister (MaStR) offshore…
“Park row "Borkum Riffgrund 3": 83 units, 958.65 MW gross, statuses {'In Betrieb': 83}, operators ['Borkum Riffgrund 3 GmbH ＆ Co. oHG'], commissioned 2025-12-03..2026-08-17, planned None..None.”
supportsRegister entry
Operator13
[2]
Ørsted (then DONG Energy)2017-04-13◆ DONG Energy awarded three German offshor…
“OWP West: 240 MW at €0/MWh; Borkum Riffgrund West 2: 240 MW at €0/MWh. "The zero subsidy bid is a breakthrough for the cost competitiveness of offshore wind." Projects planned for commissioning in 202…”
supportsMechanismDetail
[3]
Ørsted2018-04-27◆ Orsted wins 551.75MW in German offshore …
“Borkum Riffgrund West 1: 420 MW at EUR 0/MWh. Ørsted wins 551.75 MW in German offshore wind auction. "Ørsted will build 1,141.75 MW new offshore wind capacity in Germany by 2024/2025."”
supportsMechanismDetail
[4]
Ørsted2021-12-01◆ Orsted takes final investment decision o…
“Ørsted's Board of Directors has taken final investment decision (FID) on the two German offshore wind farms Gode Wind 3 (242 MW) and Borkum Riffgrund 3 (900 MW) which are expected to be commissioned i…”
supportsFinal investment decisionModelUnit capacityMechanismDetail
[6]
Ørsted2024-06-20◆ First wind turbine installed at Borkum R…
“A total of 83 Siemens Gamesa wind turbines, each with a rated capacity of 11 MW, will be installed at the offshore wind farm. Borkum Riffgrund 3 is located approx. 72 km off the coast of Lower Saxony …”
supportsinvestorTurbinesModelUnit capacityStatus+5 more
[7]
Ørsted2025-12-03◆ Borkum Riffgrund 3, Ørsted’s largest off…
“The offshore wind farm Borkum Riffgrund 3, jointly owned by Ørsted and Nuveen Infrastructure, has delivered its first power to the German grid on 3 December 2025. With an installed capacity of 913 MW …”
supportsFirst powerTurbinesUnit capacityTotal capacityMechanism+5 more
[8]
Ørsted2022-02-03◆ Ørsted Annual Report 2021
“In Germany, we took FID on our originally fully merchant Borkum Riffgrund 3 project and the Gode Wind 3 project. Besides the pre-FID farm-down, the Borkum Riffgrund 3 FID was enabled by major CPPAs, i…”
supportsFinal investment decisionMechanismDetail
[9]
Ørsted2026-02-05◆ Ørsted Annual Report 2025
“Borkum Riffgrund 3 — Commercial operation date: Q1 2026. All foundations and wind turbines are installed. TSO-driven delay to grid connection, which Ørsted is financially compensated for. First power …”
supportsFirst powerStatusConnection point
[10]
Ørsted2026-05-07◆ Ørsted IR presentation Q1 2026
“Borkum Riffgrund 3 — Capacity: 913 MW — COD: Q3 2026. Status: All foundations and turbines installed. Turbine commissioning is progressing slower than planned, mainly due to TSO unplanned grid outages…”
supportsCommercial operationTotal capacity
[11]
Jan De Nul2023-06
“Les Alizés will transport and install 106 wind turbine monopile foundations for Gode Wind 3 and Borkum Riffgrund 3, sailing from the marshalling harbour in Eemshaven, the Netherlands.”
supportsOffshore constructionFoundationmarshalling harbourLes Alizés — foundation installation
[15]
Ørsted2025-02-06◆ Financial Reports
“In Germany, construction of Borkum Riffgrund 3 is progressing according to schedule, but the installation of the project's power grid connection has been delayed by the German TSO, and the expected CO…”
supportsCommercial operationTotal capacityStatusConnection point
[17]
Ørsted A/S2025-Q3◆ Ørsted Q3 2025 earnings call transcript
“At Borkum Riffgrund 3 in Germany, we have installed all foundations and turbines. Commissioning of the grid connection for Borkum Riffgrund 3 has started according to plan. We expect first power befor…”
supportsCommercial operation
[18]
Ørsted2026-Q2◆ Orsted — orsted q2 2026 ir presentation
“Borkum Riffgrund 3 Changhua 2b and 4 Revolution Wind Sunrise Wind Baltica 2 Hornsea 3 / BESS Capacity1 913 MW 920 MW 704 MW 924 MW 1,498 MW 2,852 MW / 300 MW COD Q3 2026 Q3 2026 H2 2026 H2 2027 H2 20…”
supportsBackground
[21]
Ørsted2026-08-31◆ Borkum Riffgrund 3 enters commercial ope…
“Ørsted and Nuveen Infrastructure's German offshore wind farm Borkum Riffgrund 3 has been commissioned and is now in commercial operation. With an installed capacity of 913 MW, the project is one of Ge…”
supportsCommercial operationCOD history
Trade press2
[13]
NS Energy2022
Press report — cited, not quoted; read it at the source link.
supportsoperator
[14]