The problems with delays in Energinet's expansion of the electricity grid have affected many more projects than previously known. So far, it has been known that 98 projects were delayed – but by the turn of the year, the schedule had slipped in 141 out of 179 electricity grid projects. This is reported by Finans based on internal information from Energinet, which the media has been granted access to.
The number 98 became known in the spring of 2025, when the media Zetland revealed that Climate Minister Lars Aagaard (M) had approved withholding a press release stating that Energinet was delayed with 98 construction projects. This triggered a political crisis and a vote of no confidence, which the minister survived with the smallest possible margin. But the 98 delayed projects have not proven to be the full picture. The lack of overview is being criticized by several experts.
- The fact that a company - whose primary purpose is to expand and maintain the electricity grid - can have such large and increasing delays without either having an overview of it or having it repaired shows that there is a lack of fundamental management of core tasks, says Professor of Financial Management at Aalborg University Per Nikolaj Bukh
The number of delayed projects has increased significantly from 24 at the end of 2021 to 141 at the end of 2024. At the same time, the proportion of projects with delays has grown from 29 to 79 percent.
- In the unbearable light of hindsight, I would have clearly wished that we had taken more measures at an earlier stage to get a handle on this development, says Søren Dupont Kristensen, Chief Operating Officer at Energinet.
However, he denies that management has lacked an overview of the development. Energinet also points to long case processing times and an increasing number of projects as reasons for the delays. Søren Dupont Kristensen also states that Energinet saw no reason to provide precise figures for delays when the case against Aagaard was underway, as they were under the impression that the story was not more about the communication about the delays than the delays themselves.
Climate Minister Lars Aagaard calls the situation very worrying, but does not want to comment on whether Energinet's management has failed.
Energinet: Finans does not reveal anything
At the end of Finans' article, Energinet has however issued a press release commenting on Finans' article. The announcement is under the heading "Finans does not reveal anything - we have published the figures ourselves". Here, Energinet refers to the fact that in June it issued a press release with the latest status on the expansion of the electricity transmission network.
"Here we reported that 73 percent of our total portfolio of almost 200 construction projects is delayed compared to the original schedules by the end of the first quarter of 2025. We wrote: The latest status is that 73 percent of Energinet's construction projects are delayed compared to the original schedule in the projects, and also explained why," the announcement reads.
Therefore, Energinet also declares itself dissatisfied with today's story.
"The fact is that we have previously published that 73 percent of approximately 200 projects have been postponed compared to the original schedule - and have also continuously reported the proportion of delayed projects over the years. It is also a fact when Finans writes that 141 projects have been delayed - a figure we have drawn for Finans, by the way - The difference is used to give the impression that Energinet has kept information hidden. We have been in dialogue with the journalists behind the article and pointed out that the figures were already publicly available in a press release, and that many of the delays are delays that may have occurred several years ago and have long since been communicated to the affected citizens, municipalities, the press, etc.," Energinet says.
Søren Dupont Kristensen, who speaks out in an article with Finans, is annoyed by the situation.
- We always make ourselves available to the media and are happy to enter into a dialogue with the press - it is our duty as a socially responsible company. In this case, we have drawn figures for Finans, which say the same thing as we ourselves have previously communicated and reported. When the information is presented as a revelation, it is simply not correct, says Operations Director Søren Dupont Kristensen.
Updated 11:53 after Energinet has issued a press release about the Finans article.
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