Denmark is preparing the start of ‘its biggest building project in Danish history to create two ‘energy islands’, one in the North Sea, the other in the Baltic Sea, the Danish Energy Ministry has announced.
The energy islands will export energy to the Danish mainland and some neighbouring countries.
On Thursday, Belgium signed an agreement with the Danish government to construct an underwater electricity connection from the islands via a 500-km long undersea cable that will have the capacity to transport 1,4 GW of green electricity to Belgium by 2030.
According to Danish Minister of Climate and Energy, Dan Jørgensen the clean energy hub will be the largest construction project ever undertaken by Denmark. With the project, the country hopes it will contribute to meeting the European Union’s target to become climate neutral by 2050.
Denmark was the first country to build an offshore windfarm in 1991, and now the country is taking the next step into a new era of offshore wind energy. The islands are to become a kind of offshore power plants, collecting and storing renewable energy from hundreds of wind turbines in the surrounding area. The final goal is to produce up to twelve gigawatts (GW) and provide ten million families with renewable energy, New Mobility reports.
The first island in the Baltic Sea will be the existing island of Bornholm and will be the physical hub for offshore wind farms with a total capacity of 2 GW. The second island, in the North Sea, will require an artificial structure 80 km offshore, like a platform or a caisson island, and will serve as a hub for offshore wind farms with a total capacity of 3 GW and potentially up to 12 GW in the future.
The Danish state will have majority ownership (51%), but private partners can participate. This could make it “a lucrative business for both private investors and the Danish state,” Jørgensen said.
Construction of the island is expected to start in 2026 and should be ready before 2033. The Danish government has earmarked 212 billion Danish crowns (€28,5 billion) for the project.
The Brussels Times
