A broad majority in the Danish Parliament has reached an agreement on the construction and ownership of a new energy island in the North Sea. This brings the island one step closer to being built after several years of studies and political negotiations.
The artificial island 80 kilometers out in the North Sea will be the largest construction project in Danish history with a price tag of DKK 210 billion. This is equivalent to up to five Great Belt bridges or four Fehmarnbelt connections. This is stated by the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities in a press release.
- With this decision, we are setting the framework for a crucial lighthouse project in the green transition, says Climate Minister Dan Jørgensen (S).
The energy island will be built as an actual artificial island that will collect and distribute electricity from surrounding offshore wind farms.
The exact design of the island has not yet been determined. But it is initially expected to be the size of 18 football fields. With that size, the island will have the capacity to cover the electricity consumption of three million households.
Can be expanded in the long term
In the long term, the capacity should be able to be expanded from three to ten gigawatts, which is enough to supply ten million households with electricity. When the island is expanded, it will "at a minimum" occupy an area equivalent to 64 football fields, according to the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities.
If Denmark is to get the full value of the investments, the pace must be increased and the framework clarified quickly, believes Wind Denmark, a sector association for companies and wind turbine owners.
- The decision on a physical island is now a fact. It is therefore important that all efforts are now put into creating clarity about the technical, economic and legal framework for the establishment and not least the crucial international connections, so that the necessary pace is ensured, says Director Jan Hylleberg from Wind Denmark.
In addition to the island in the North Sea, it has also been decided to build an energy island of two gigawatts in the Baltic Sea. Here, Bornholm will function as the energy island itself with offshore wind farms connected.
When the energy islands are fully developed, there will be seven times as much offshore wind capacity installed as today.
The specific framework for ownership must now be determined so that the tender process can be initiated and the islands realized as quickly as possible.
The agreement on energy has been made between the government, the Liberal Party, the Danish People's Party, the Social Democrats, the Green Party, the Unity List, the Conservatives, the Liberal Alliance and the Alternative.
Ritzau
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