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Did you hear? Gode Wind 3 wind project starts commercial operation offshore Germany
19/3/2025
News
Ørsted and Nuveen Infrastructure have commissioned the 253 MW Gode Wind 3 project offshore Germany. A new, lower-noise installation method for monopile foundations was used during the wind farm’s construction, replacing conventional pile driving.
Gode Wind 3 comprises 23 wind turbines from Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, each with a capacity of 11 MW. ‘With a rotor diameter of 200 metres, this wind turbine model is currently the largest running wind turbine in German waters,’ reports Ørsted. ‘The new generation of wind turbines offers up to 40% higher annual energy yield compared to the 8 MW wind turbine,’ it adds.
The electricity generated at Gode Wind 3 will be transmitted via the wind farm’s own offshore substation and a converter station by TenneT, the German transmission system operator, entering the extra-high voltage grid onshore in the German state of Lower Saxony. Operations will continue to be managed from Ørsted’s hub at the port of Norden-Norddeich in Lower Saxony. Ørsted reports it will receive a weighted average price of €81/MWh for the electricity produced at Gode Wind 3.
The first foundation for the Gode Wind 3 project was installed in August 2023. Ørsted pilot trialled a new, lower noise method for the installation of three of the wind farm’s monopile foundations, completely replacing the conventional installation method involving pile driving. The noise mitigation method involves a patented jetting technology attached to the monopile. This lowers the resistance of the surrounding sandy soil, effectively allowing the foundation to sink into the seabed, explains the company.
Patented jetting technology attached to the monopile lowers the resistance of the surrounding sandy soil, allowing the foundation to sink into the seabed
Photo: Ørsted
Ørsted claims the new installation technology has resulted in a ‘substantial decrease’ in underwater noise levels. It reports ‘a reduction of 34 decibels relative to the most commonly used installation method, and without additional mitigation, noise levels were reduced by over 99% to a level just marginally above the ambient noise found in the German Bight in the North Sea’.
Patrick Harnett, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Ørsted, adds: ‘This new technology is a potential game changer for how we build offshore wind. Once industrialised, it could not only be cheaper, faster and far quieter – without additional mitigation – than any other monopile installation technology, it also has the potential to make next-generation foundations lighter as they won’t need to be designed for conventional installation process.’
Ørsted is now assessing the feasibility of the method on more complex ground conditions than the pure sand conditions found at the Gode Wind 3 site. Further regulatory approvals will also be needed before the technology can be implemented in other markets globally, it notes.
Ørsted is the market leader in offshore wind in Germany, operating almost 20% of the country’s total offshore wind capacity. Gode Wind 3 is its fifth operational wind farm offshore Germany. It will be followed by the 913 MW Borkum Riffgrund 3 project in 2026, for which the last wind turbine was installed in early January.
