Ørsted now building two new offshore wind farms in North Sea

14 August 2023

Foundations of Gode Wind 3 and Borkum Riffgrund 3 laid – wind farms to supply 1.1 gigawatts from 2025

The Danish energy company Ørsted laid Friday (August 4, 2023), the first of 107 foundations for the Gode Wind 3 wind farm and the Borkum Riffgrund 3 in the North Sea. The remainder will be laid in the coming months. The two wind farms north of the East Friesian island of Norderney are due to go into operation in 2024 and 2025 respectively, and will have a combined capacity of 1.1 gigawatts.This comes after the cumulative global capacity of wind turbines rose to around 906 gigawatts in 2022, according to the Hamburg-based Statista.

Another milestone for Ørsted

"We are laying the foundation for additional power plant-sized renewable energy at sea. That will establish offshore wind power as a pillar of the energy transition," said Jörg Kubitza, Managing Director of Ørsted Germany which is based in Hamburg. Stefan Eckelmann, Senior Project Manager of Ørsted Germany, added: "We are very pleased to have reached this milestone for our project after many years of planning and preparation." Eckelmann is responsible for the foundations and expects the wind turbines to be installed next year. The offshore wind turbines will be among the largest in the German North Sea, with a rated output of 11 megawatts and a rotor diameter of 200 meters.

Environment-friendly construction of offshore wind farms

The wind turbines are to be installed in the most efficient and environment-friendly manner possible, according to Peter De Pooter, Manager Offshore Renewables of the Jan De Nul Group. The company is working with Ørsted on the construction, using the new erector vessel "Les Alizés". The foundations have to be driven into the seabed with a hydraulic hammer. Prior to the start of construction, a signal will frighten off marine mammals temporarily to protect them during installation. Several soundproofing systems will be used to reduce underwater noise. The statutory limit will not be exceeded, Ørsted said.

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