Denmark plans to build a huge artificial island in the North Sea that will function as a major renewable energy center at a cost of tens of billions of dollars.
The Danish Energy Agency, part of the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities, said the project will be implemented as a public-private partnership, with the state taking a controlling share. The island is planned to be located in the sea 80 km from the coast of the Jutland peninsula.
The first stage – the installed capacity of 3 gigawatts (GW) – will involve about 200 offshore wind turbines, transmitting electricity to the hub, which will distribute it to neighboring countries through the network.
In the future, the capacity of the hub will be increased up to 10 GW. This, according to the Danish authorities, will be enough to supply electricity to 10 million homes in Europe. Depending on the final results of the design, the island will cover an area of 120,000 to 460,000 square meters.
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The estimated cost of building the energy island with a total capacity of 10 GW and the necessary power grid will be DKK 210 billion ($33.97 billion).
“The energy hub in the North Sea will be the largest construction project in Danish history,” Danish Climate Minister Dan Jorgensen said in a statement. – It will contribute greatly to realizing the enormous potential of European offshore wind energy, and I am very excited about our future cooperation with other European countries.”
The Danish authorities have already started negotiations with potential private investors. Politically, the terms of the tender will be agreed upon, new legislation will be passed and an environmental impact assessment will be carried out.
In addition to the artificial island, a second 2 GW energy hub is also planned on the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea.
Denmark is a pioneer in offshore wind power projects. The world’s first offshore wind farm, located in waters near the Danish island of Lolland, was commissioned by Orsted (a company formerly known as DONG Energy) in 1991. Other Danish firms, such as turbine manufacturer Vestas, are major players in wind power.
It is worth noting that the European Union, of which Denmark is a member, aims for offshore wind power capacity to reach 60 GW by 2030 and 300 GW by the middle of this century.