The Baltic Sea holds enormous potential when it comes to supplying both the Danes and others in the region with green energy for the sockets. That possibility is only used to a small extent. But that must be changed now.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (S) will host an energy summit for the countries in the region with the participation of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. What concretely will come out of the meeting is not yet known. But in the industry, everyone is ready to start building more wind turbines:
- That is why it is also frustrating that there is so far from words to action, says Lars Sandahl Sørensen, CEO of Dansk Industri.
He says that it takes an average of nine years before an offshore wind farm is approved and can send power to the sockets. But it can be done in half the time.
- We may risk that the ambitions in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea will not be realized in Denmark quickly enough, because other projects are coming, he warns.
Expert: Europe will stand well with ambitious agreement
Currently, 2.8 GW of offshore wind is spinning in the Baltic Sea region, approximately half of which is Danish. However, there is a potential of up to 93 GW towards 2050 according to the EU Commission. It is extremely high, says professor of energy planning Brian Vad Mathiesen, Aalborg University.
- If an agreement can be made that meets that goal, we are in a really good position in Europe. Also in relation to reaching the Paris agreement, he says.
However, the full potential does not need to be utilized. If there is an agreement on, for example, 60 GW, it can also go a long way, according to the professor.
- We can count on up to 30 per cent. of the EU's need for offshore wind in 2050 can be met from the Baltic Sea, he estimates.
However, the long case processing time drags out the work, according to the business world. And the Danes feel it.
- We pay towering electricity prices today, and this can be linked to the fact that we have too little renewable energy. The longer time goes by, the longer we will have to suffer with high electricity bills, says Ulrich Bang, market manager for climate, energy and the environment at Dansk Erhverv.
Must ensure independence from Russian gas
Tuesday's summit comes a few months after a similar one in Esbjerg with participation from Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. Here, the countries agreed on a goal of tenfold the capacity for offshore wind in the North Sea to 150 gigawatts by 2050.
Mette Frederiksen also opened the possibility that permits could be granted faster to build green energy. However, the business world has not yet felt that.
- If there is talk of rapid construction of green energy, the fastest way is to create an "open door" so that players can bid and develop parks and do feasibility studies themselves. From the public side, you can then focus on making the electricity grid ready to receive the green power, says Ulrich Bang.
The aim of both summits has been to ensure independence from Russian gas. However, it cannot stand alone, points out Brian Vad Mathisen.
- We are independent of Russian energy at the time the wind turbines are spinning, because we cannot wait to become independent. But we will be in a situation where, for example, imported LNG (liquefied natural gas, ed.) from Qatar or the USA can be replaced with renewable energy, he says.
The Prime Minister is hosting a summit in the Baltic Sea to strengthen the independence of Russian energy and boost the green transition pic.twitter.com/mjrfmq7GSD
— The Ministry of State (@Statsmin) August 24, 2022
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