Denmark greenlights 14-GW offshore wind expansion

June 1 (Renewables Now) - After a political agreement on a potential 14-GW offshore wind expansion in Denmark, the Danish Energy Agency on Wednesday said it is preparing for a market dialogue with potential bidders.

It was announced on Tuesday that the Danish government and a number of political parties have reached an agreement that sets the framework for 9 GW of offshore wind tenders. Considering the possibility for overplanting, this capacity can become 14 GW and even more. The aim is to have most of the new offshore wind farms online by 2030. The generation would deliver significant amounts of green energy to Denmark, the rest of Europe, and for Power-to-X (PtX) products such as green hydrogen.

Of the 9 GW planned, at least 3 GW will be located at Energy Island Bornholm. The remaining 6 GW of offshore wind power will be offered without support and with indirect state co-ownership of 20%. Developers will pay annual concession payments for the sites.

At least 3 GW are slated for the North Sea I, at least 1 GW at Kattegat II, at least 1 GW at Kriegers Flak II and between 800 MW and 1.2 GW at Hesselo.

“When the turbines are spinning, we can cover all our electricity consumption with green power - to such an extent that we can even contribute to Europe's green transition and energy security. We can now finally give the market the green light for the expansion of potentially 14 GW or more of offshore wind power - and most of it will be co-owned by the state and the Danish people for the first time, allowing them to share in the actual revenues from offshore wind," Minister of Climate, Energy and Utilities, Lars Aagaard, commented in Tuesday's announcement.

At the moment, Denmark has 2.3 GW of offshore wind turbines.

The Danish Energy Agency said it is already working to convert the agreed framework into transparent tender conditions. Over the summer, it plans to invite potential bidders to a market dialogue on the prospective tenders.