Denmark is investigating the possibility of building one or more “energy islands” with a capacity to produce 10,000 megawatts of offshore wind power, the country’s energy and climate ministry said Tuesday.
The project would need between 200-300 billion krones ($29.6-$44.5 billion) in investment, of which the majority would be met by the private sector, Kallanish Energy reports.
The government has allocated 65 million krones ($9.65 million) under next year’s budget to invest in the development of technologies to store and convert the large amounts of power the island would produce, as well as preliminary studies on the project.
“The concept of ‘energy island’ covers a physical island or platform that acts as a hub for electricity generation from surrounding offshore wind farms that are connected and distributed between North Sea countries,” it explained.
The government is now screening potential places, which include areas of the Baltic Sea, North Sea and Kattegat. Ongoing studies must prove feasibility before further commitments are made.
Denmark has legally committed to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 70% by 2030, compared to the 1990 level, with the ultimate goal to reach net zero emissions by 2050 “at the latest.”
The Danish nation built the world’s first offshore wind farm in 1991.
