The Esbjerg plant closes: :
Mixed feelings on the part of the operations manager and Ørsted's power plant manager

He still remembers the time, Esbjergværket's operations manager Michael Nordmand Sørensen, when the first sign came that the owner Ørsted wanted to completely move away from fossil fuels.

- We were told in 2019 that Ørsted would no longer invest in coal. The vision was that it should be in 2022, says Michael Nordmand Sørensen, who has been involved since the plant was put into commercial operation in 1992.

Actually, the plant should have already been closed on 31 March 2023 – but that closing date ended up being postponed due to Russia's war in Ukraine to 31 August 2024. And now the 50 employees have to move on.

- I handed out fire notices yesterday. 27 quit, 11 of them retire, and 16 stay and clean up for about half a year, and seven have found other work in Ørsted. It has been a good process, assures Michael Nordmand Sørensen.

The shutdown is also part of the operations manager's work, and when it is over, the plant must be demolished. The plot must be brought back to how it was before. After this, Esbjerg Havn, who owns the land, can rent it out to a new tenant. When that will be is not yet certain.

- The decommissioning is a process that must take place until the spring of 2025, when the degradation will begin. It will probably take around a year and a half, says Ole Thomsen, Ørsted's power plant manager and SVP.

The economic carrot

The postponement of the shutdown has also meant that some employees ended up leaving the plant at the original closing date of March 2023.

- About six men left us because they had found other work at the time. They had found work at, for example, DIN Forsyning and SubC. And it was employees who were difficult to replace, but we succeeded anyway, says Michael Nordmand Sørensen.

How he managed to retain sought-after employees in a hot industry, his boss would like to reveal.

- We can confirm that there has been a financial carrot with extended notice of termination, where the employees are being laid off, explains Ole Thomsen.

Good process but mixed feelings

However, both the operations manager and the power plant manager assure that the atmosphere has been good until the end.

- There has been enormous togetherness and community here, says Michael Nordmand Sørensen, who on Wednesday had to hand out fire notices on a day where there was also shared fun.

- We had a joint and lengthy breakfast, explains Ole Thomsen.

Michael Nordmand Sørensen and Ole Thomsen agree on one thing, however. With the operations manager, it showed at yesterday's breakfast.

- I talked to the employees about whether the flag should be up or at half-mast - but we took a normal day without the flag, says Michael Nordmand Sørensen, who also admits that he was moved during his speech to the employees.

- It's mixed feelings: I'm the boss of nine power plants, and now it's soon one less, says Ole Thomsen.

However, there are also advantages to coal-fired power plants that renewable energy does not have, such as during the periods when the wind does not blow and the sun does not shine.

- We can ramp up and down production when there is a need for it. But I'm okay with that, because we have to take care of the environment, says Michael Nordmand Sørensen about the 1.5 million. tons of coal that was fired annually at the plant.

Despite the mixed feelings, the unity and the end of an era must end with a celebration.

- We are holding a farewell party for the employees on 28 September in the Musikhuset here in Esbjerg, says Michael Nordmand Sørensen.