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 (13 Oct 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 sourced statements and Hafrok’s registers
Installation complete
Installation · on record
StageOperational
In operation since2026-08
Offshore construction2023 → 2026-08
Construction ports
PortEemshaven ◆·marshalling harbour · quay 5000 m · crane 50 t · draft 14 m
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 · CompletedGrid 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
Rests on 16 sources (16 primary) · ◆ 13 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…
“Az: 5111/Borkum Riffgrund 3/PFV/O3105 Hamburg, den 13.10.2021 [...] A. Planfeststellungsbeschluss I. Feststellung des Plans [...] Das Vorhaben „Borkum Riffgrund 3“ erstreckt sich mit 83 Windenergieanl…”
supportsConsentTurbinesWater depthConsent appliedConsent 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
Operator12
[2]
Ørsted (then DONG Energy)2017-04-13◆ DONG Energy awarded three German offshor…
“In the first of two German auction rounds, the Bundesnetzagentur has today awarded DONG Energy the right to build three offshore wind projects in the German North Sea. [...] • OWP West (240MW) • Borku…”
supportsMechanismDetail
[3]
Ørsted2018-04-27◆ Orsted wins 551.75MW in German offshore …
“Ørsted won with the following projects: Borkum Riffgrund West 1 with a capacity of 420MW at a price of EUR 0 per MWh. [...] In the first German offshore wind auction, which took place in April 2017, Ø…”
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 Changhua 2b and 4 Revolution Wind Sunrise Wind Baltica 2 Hornsea 3 / BESS Capacity1 913 MW [...] COD Q3 2026 [...] Status All foundations and turbines installed Turbine commissionin…”
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
[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]