The Borkum Riffgrund 3 wind farm, jointly owned by Ørsted and Nuveen Infrastructure, is located 37 kilometers off the coast of the German Wadden Island of Borkum. With a capacity of 913 megawatts, it is the second-largest offshore wind farm in Germany. The wind farm will be fully operational in the first quarter of 2026. At that point, Germany’s total offshore wind capacity will rise above 10 gigawatts. This places Germany third worldwide, behind the United Kingdom (15 GW) and China (38 GW). Belgium ranks sixth with 2.2 GW.

Belgian Contribution

Borkum Riffgrund 3 was the first assignment in 2023 for Jan De Nul’s newest installation vessel, Les Alizés. The World Builders, based in Aalst, installed the turbine foundations, which are up to 100 meters long and weigh up to 1,500 tonnes.

Peter De Pooter, Manager Offshore Energy Structures at Jan De Nul, said: “To maximize energy production, wind turbines are becoming ever larger. Those at Borkum Riffgrund 3 reach 210 meters above sea level at their highest point and each produce 11 megawatts of energy. Soon, Les Alizés will start work on the Scottish wind farm Inch Cape, where the turbines are even larger. They are 274 meters tall and will produce 15 megawatts. Our teams are preparing the installation of these giants down to the smallest detail.

“On the Scottish wind farm Inch Cape, the turbines are even larger. Our teams are preparing the installation of these giants down to the smallest detail.”