The Danish finance ministry has unveiled plans to support 4GW of new offshore wind capacity in the form of new energy islands which will both increase the country’s renewables share but also support decarbonising carbon-intensive industries.
The Danish government is proposing to build two energy islands in the North and Baltic Seas by 2030 in its Climate Action Plan.
The plan includes using the Bornholm island in the Baltic Sea as a 2 GW energy island, as well as establishing a 2 GW artificial energy island in the North Sea that has a potential capacity of 10 GW.
Besides Denmark, the North Sea island will be connected to the Netherlands, while Bornholm will have a connection to Poland, since the 4 GW capacity expansion tops the Danish household annual consumption.
According to the government, the long-term aim is to convert the power from the islands into green hydrogen which can further be processed into fuels, allowing the reduction of greenhouse gases, a concept called Power-to-X.
In addition to the energy islands, the Climate Action Plan includes investment into green heat, green fuels and CO2 capture, as well as increasing energy efficiency, transforming the industry and creating a completely green waste sector.
Overall, the plan is expected to enable a greenhouse gas reduction of 2 million tonnes by 2030.
“Denmark must be a green pioneer country, which is why we hold on to the high climate ambitions – even if we are in the midst of a historic crisis. With the establishment of the world’s first two energy islands, we embark on a whole new era in the Danish wind adventure,” said Minister of Climate, Energy and Public Utilities Dan Jørgensen.
“We are massively increasing the amount of offshore wind, and at the same time we will be able to use the green power in the tanks of trucks, cargo ships and aircraft. We present a package that delivers both CO2 reductions in the short term and paves the way for future climate neutral Denmark.”
To remind, at the end of last year, Denmark initiated studies to find possible locations for energy islands supporting at least 10 GW of offshore wind capacity.
