Four offshore farms planned to double Denmark's wind power

COPENHAGEN: Danish energy company Orsted said Tuesday it was planning four new offshore wind farms, which would double the country’s wind power production as it seeks to limit its dependence on Russian gas and oil.

Orsted said in a statement it had entered a partnership with investment fund Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) “to develop approx. 5.2 gigawatts of offshore wind in Denmark across four projects”.

In 2021, the production from offshore wind turbines amounted to 2.3 gigawatts according to statistics from industry group Wind Denmark.

The four projects, which are scheduled to be in operation by 2028, are in addition to the efforts announced by Nordic nation’s government, which says it wants to be a pioneer in transitioning to renewable energy.

While the transition began several years ago, it has been accelerated since the beginning of 2022 and the war in Ukraine as Denmark seeks to rid itself of Russian fossil fuels.

In August, Denmark announced that it was increasing its wind power capacity from two to three gigawatts off the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea, where it is planning an “energy island” which will also be linked to Germany’s power grid.

In addition, two agreements for the development of offshore wind power projects were signed this year.

One with Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium plans to install wind turbines capable of generating nearly 150 gigawatts in the North Sea by 2050.

Another with the countries surrounding the Baltic Sea intends to increase offshore wind capacity there sevenfold by 2030, up to 20 gigawatts.