Denmark Identifies Areas for 12.4 GW of New Offshore Wind

By Sneha Verma/ Updated On Tue, Apr 30th, 2019

A study commissioned by the Danish government has identified good locations for 12.4 GW of additional offshore wind capacity, it was announced on last week.

offshore wind power project

According to a statement by Denmark’s Energy, Utilities and Climate Ministry, the designated zones could accommodate between 12 and 15 wind farms, depending on their size.

The study has found that the country has the potential to add at least 40 GW of offshore wind capacity.

Commenting on the findings, Lars Christian Lilleholt, Minister of Energy, Utilities and Climate, said that Denmark boasts such good conditions for offshore wind that it can help cover the need for green electricity in many other countries, not just at home.

“Denmark is already great at offshore wind, and the survey shows that we have the potential for much more. We have such good conditions for offshore wind that we can contribute significantly to cover the need for green electricity – not just in Denmark, but also in many other countries,” Lilleholt said.

The new areas found around Denmark by the survey are highlighted in blue

He also stressed on the fact that future offshore wind plans would not involve subsidies, saying “the North Sea must be developed into a global leading area for offshore wind, where we do not support the turbines.”

The Danish government ordered the study last summer after signing its 2018 Energy Agreement, calling for the construction of three 800-MW offshore wind farms. These support the country’s national goal to fully cover its electricity consumption with renewable energy by 2030 and meet a 50% energy demand with renewables in 2030. The new energy agreement also included the development of three new offshore wind projects with a total capacity of at least 2.4GW by 2030.

The first of the three will be the Thor project, a tender for which will be held this year. The plant will be connected to the grid between 2024 and 2027. Denmark has several offshore wind farms in operation, approved, or under construction, including the 406.7MW Horns Rev 3, the 605MW Kriegers Flak, and the Vesterhav Syd and Vesterhav Nord nearshore wind farms.