Denmark decides to construct the world’s first windenergy hub as an artificial island in the North Sea
Denmark has reached a landmark agreement on the construction of an energy hub in the North Sea. The energy hub will be an artificially constructed island 80 kilometers from the shore of the peninsula Jutland. It will be owned by a public-private partnership. The hub will strengthen the integration of Europe’s power grids and increase renewable electricity production necessary for a cli-mate neutral Europe.
Denmark has introduced cutoff date of 2050 for oil and gas extraction in the North Sea and canceled all future licensing rounds. Today, by agreeing on the construction and ownership of the world’s first energy hub in the North Sea, Denmark takes another significant step in the green transition. The energy hub will produce yet unseen amounts of green electricity and is one of the government's flagship projects for the green transition in Europe. Fully implemented it will be able to cover the consumption of 10 million European households
”This is truly a great moment for Denmark and for the global green transition. This decision marks the start of a new era of sustainable energy production in Denmark and the world and it links very ambitious climate goals with growth and green jobs.The energy hub in the North Sea will be the largest construction project in Danish history. It will make a big contribution to the realization of the enormous potential for European offshore wind, and I am excited for our future collaboration with other European countries”, says the Danish Minister for Climate, Dan Jørgensen.
The energy hub will serve as an offshore power plant gathering and distributing green electricity from hundreds of wind turbines surrounding the island directly to consumers in countries surrounding the North Sea. The island is expected to have a total area of at least 120.000 square meters and in its first phase it will be able to provide 3 million European households with green energy.The project will be a public private partnership between the Danish state and private companies. The State will own the majority of the island, but private companies will be crucial for the project to fulfill the potential as regards to innovation, flexibility, cost-effectiveness and business potentials.
“We are at the dawn of a new era for energy. Last year, Denmark set a cutoff date for fossil fuel extraction. Today we are taking a decisive step toward a clean energy future. The EU has set a goal to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 and the Commission has set a target of 300 GW offshore wind energy in order to attain this goal. By constructing the world’s first energy hub with a potential capacity of 10 GW, Denmark significantly contributes to this ambitious target. Not only by dramatically expanding renewable energy production, but also by supplying our European neighbors with an abundance of renewable energy”, says the Danish Minister for Climate, Dan Jørgensen.
The artificial island will offer the best opportunities to expand the project, for example by building a harbor and facilities for storage and conversion of green electricity from the nearby wind turbines in the sea. It is the long-term ambition to be able to store green electricity on the island, convert it to liquid green fuel, and send it via subsea cables to Denmark and neighboring countries.
Details about the ownership of the island will be specified in order for a tender for private partnerships to be opened, making the island a reality as soon as possible.
Facts about the energy islands
- A broad coalition of Danish parties have decided to establish two energy hubs and associated offshore windfarms. One as an artificial island in the North Sea and one at the Danish island Bornholm.
- An energy hub serves as a hub that collects electricity from the surrounding offshore windfarms and distributes the electricity between countries connected via the electricity grid.
- Furthermore, the abundance of offshore wind energy can be used to produce climate-friendly fuels for shipping, aviation, heavy industries or heavy-duty vehicles.
- The two hubs initial capacity will be 5 GW triple the current installed offshore capacity in Denmark. Later they will be expanded to provide a capacity of 12 GW in total.
- In the North Sea, the island and offshore windfarms will be located at least 80 km west of the coast of Jutland. Around 200 wind turbines are expected in the first phase of the project.
- Last year Denmark reached a deal on the future of fossil extraction in the North Sea, leading to the cancellation of the ongoing 8th licensing round and all future rounds to extract oil and gas.
Contacts
Press advisor, Danish Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities, Emil Lee Madsen (emlma@kefm.dk), phone (+45) 41 72 90 58
About Klima-, Energi- og Forsyningsministeriet
I Klima-, Energi og Forsyningsministeriet arbejder vi for målet om at reducere udledningen af drivhusgasser med 70 procent i Danmark i 2030 og for et visionært, grønt lederskab både i Danmark og ude i verden.
Subscribe to releases from Klima-, Energi- og Forsyningsministeriet
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Klima-, Energi- og Forsyningsministeriet by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Klima-, Energi- og Forsyningsministeriet
Grønland er kortlagt på ny6.2.2023 14:33:00 CET | Pressemeddelelse
Ikke siden 80’erne er der blevet produceret nye kort over Grønland. Nu er den første samlede kortlægning af Grønland nogensinde afsluttet, og kort og data er gjort frit tilgængelige.
Dørene til et nyt grønt Nordsøeventyr er nu åbne6.2.2023 07:03:02 CET | Pressemeddelelse
De første tilladelser til storskala lagring af CO2 i den danske del af Nordsøen er på plads. Eventyret begynder i 2025, og fra 2030 kan op mod 13 mio. tons CO2 årligt blive pumpet ned i undergrunden.
Danmarks gassystem opgraderes til mere grøn gas23.1.2023 10:25:41 CET | Pressemeddelelse
En investering på 773 millioner kroner skal geare det danske gassystem til, at grøn biogas fortrænger sort naturgas. Det er godt for klimaet, samfundsøkonomien og forsyningssikkerheden.
Dansk udstyr skal bidrage til varme og rent vand i Ukraine20.1.2023 15:00:57 CET | Pressemeddelelse
Russiske angreb har lagt store dele af Ukraines energiforsyning i ruiner. Den ukrainske region Mykolaiv har bedt Danmark om hjælp til at genopbygge forsyningssystemerne og dermed bidrage til at sikre rent vand og beskyttelse fra vinterkulden til sine borgere. Nu er godt 11 ton dansk vand- og varmeudstyr ankommet til Ukraine.
Klima-, Energi- og Forsyningsministeriet ansætter Rasmus Bønneland som særlig rådgiver for Lars Aagaard18.1.2023 11:00:32 CET | Pressemeddelelse
Rasmus Bønneland skal som særlig rådgiver bistå klima-, energi- og forsyningsminister Lars Aagaard i det regeringspolitiske arbejde.
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom