Video: Exploring Denmark's bold energy island vision

Denmark's energy islands will not only maximise the North Sea's significant wind power capacity, but they will also establish solid transmission connections between countries, and tap into the potential for hydrogen trading.

In an exclusive interview with Enlit on the Road in Denmark, Energinet's Chief Project Manager, Poul-Jacob Vilhelmsen explained the vision behind the islands, which could change the energy landscape for Denmark and further afield.

The two islands being planned are the 3GW Bornholm energy island in the Baltic Sea; and the artificial island in the North Sea with a capacity of 4GW in 2033, and 10GW in the longer term.

Denmark's energy islands will maximise the gigawatt wind potential of the region, driving the green transition and boosting energy security for Denmark and its neighbours.

Denmark's energy islands will play a critical role politically said Vilhelmsen, as trading becomes part of the ambition to secure transmission corridors and will also develop the synthetic fuels market with the production of hydrogen.

However, Vilhelmsen emphasises that these ambitious projects are not without risks. The tight timelines mean that the market outlook is a challenge.

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Europe’s biggest offshore wind port

"All TSOs [and] all countries are looking into offshore wind...the transmission equipment, HVDC converters on platforms, on modules, cables… becomes a bottleneck. So we will definitely foresee challenges in reaching 2033.

"But we're still ambitious and optimistic," added Vilhelmsen.

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