Shervin Bikdeli [PPRE Batch, 2023] , currently a Control Engineer at Ørsted, highlights the successful first power of Germany’s largest single-site offshore wind farm and its innovative substation-less design.
I am proud to share a major milestone from my work at Ørsted. On December 3rd, 2025, our Borkum Riffgrund 3 offshore wind farm achieved its "First Power," delivering green electricity to the German grid.
Located 53 km off the coast, this 913 MW project is a pioneer in the industry. It is Ørsted’s largest German project and one of the first globally to be built without direct subsidies. What makes this project particularly fascinating from an engineering perspective is its innovative substation-less design. Unlike traditional offshore farms, Borkum Riffgrund 3 does not have its own offshore substation (OSS). Instead, the 83 Siemens Gamesa 11 MW turbines with Rotor diameter of 200 meters are connected via 66 kV array cables directly to TenneT’s DolWin epsilon converter platform.
As a Control Engineer in the Main Control Room (MCR), I am part of the team that takes over once the commissioning phase is completed. After the turbines are energized and connected to the grid, our responsibility is to monitor and control the entire fleet of 83 turbines. We manage high-voltage operations and SCADA systems to ensure safe and optimized performance in coordination with the grid operator.
Being at the center of such a technologically advanced project—where we manage massive power flows without a traditional intermediate substation—is a rewarding challenge that applies many of the grid integration concepts I studied in the PPRE program.
Once fully operational, Borkum Riffgrund 3 will generate enough clean energy to power approximately 900,000 German households.
Contact: Shbik@orsted.com