The dream of a PtX plant is not new at all for Jens Henry Christensen, a farmer with both wind turbines and a biogas plant at Rybjerggaard outside the village of Roslev north of Skive. Rybjerg Biogas produces 5.5 million cubic meters of biomethane annually from local second-generation biofuel. And green gas certificates are sold to the German transport industry.
The PtX dream began in 2017 – but was prevented, because the electricity from the farmer's turbines could not be used outside the public grid. Now his and other existing turbines at Salling are being replaced, and the goal is PtX in the long term.
- Four turbines of size six to 6.5 MW at 180 meters in height are planned, which will replace 16 old turbines. The current turbines produce 16 million kWh annually, while the new ones will produce 90 million kWh. kWh, says Jens Henry Christensen, who emphasizes the local importance of the renewal:
- It is a major renovation of the area's wind turbines.
On Tuesday, Skive City Council approved the installation of the new turbines.
Opening for PtX – but there is a time pressure
Although the turbines have now been approved by the city council, the road is still long.
- We expect the turbines to be up in the summer of 2027. First, the decision must be made in a four-week consultation, then there is a six to eight month processing time if there are complaints, he explains.
Although there is only a 12-month delivery time for the turbines, there is an even longer obstacle in the way.
- After that, it takes 25 months to get the grid connection done by the grid company N1. That's a long time. Either it's a lack of resources or flexibility, says Jens Henry Christensen, who would like to see a much faster processing time at the grid company for that reason.
In collaboration with the German company Electrochaea, he plans to build a 12 MW PtX plant that will produce e-methane. The partners have even received funding, but action must be taken here and now.
- We have received a commitment of 70 million DKK from the Danish Energy Agency's tender pool for the production of green hydrogen from 2027 and ten years ahead, he explains.
Therefore, the long processing time at the grid company is a problem if the tender pool's 70 million DKK is to start being redeemed from 2027.
The threat from CCS
But even if the grid company were to have a shorter processing time, there is another problem. The production of e-methane requires the use of CO2, and Rybjerg Biogas now emits 8,000 to 10,000 tons of biogenic CO2 annually. That CO2 could be used instead, but the 2030 goals of reducing Denmark's emissions by 90 percent depend on the use of CCS. And when it can make more money to send the CO2 underground, it is another stumbling block.
- The economy creates development, and now there is more money in CCS, explains Jens Henry Christensen and elaborates:
- Our PtX plans are simply dependent on the CO2 price, and that is a challenge now. It is not wrong to support CCS – but it is slowing down PtX from getting started.
DOI.dk has asked the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities for a comment, but the ministry announces that it is not possible to comment on the fact that the CCS targets are helping to slow down the development of PtX.
N1: It is standard
On the other hand, the electricity company N1 has an explanation for the fact that it takes time to make a grid connection even in this specific case. The grid connection requires an expansion.
- N1 has been contacted regarding the possible establishment of a direct line from wind turbines to a PtX plant. In this specific case, it requires that we expand our 60 kV station 'Stouby' with a new 60 kV field and that our 60 kV rail must be rebuilt. Based on the information we have received, we have presented a connection schedule of 25 months, which is completely standard when you are going to connect to one of our 60 kV stations. The delivery time for 60 kV components from the supplier is between 12-18 months. In addition, our work with the actual establishment and installation comes, says a written response from N1, which continues:
- We can only provide the exact detailed plan when the grid connection agreement itself has been signed, just as we can then also be more precise when we know the delivery time for all components for the project.
DOI.dk dispatchers have previously done public relations work for Jens Henry Christensen.
Updated version 31.01.25.
Text, graphics, images, sound, and other content on this website are protected under copyright law. DK Medier reserves all rights to the content, including the right to exploit the content for the purpose of text and data mining, cf. Section 11b of the Copyright Act and Article 4 of the DSM Directive.
Customers with IP agreements/major customer agreements may only share Danish Offshore Industry articles internally for the purpose of handling specific cases. Sharing in connection with specific cases refers to journaling, archiving, or similar uses.
Customers with a personal subscription/login may not share Danish Offshore Industry articles with individuals who do not themselves have a personal subscription to Danish Offshore Industry.
Any deviation from the above requires written consent from DK Medier.
