New Delhi (NVI): Denmark plans to build the world’s first energy island in the North Sea that will produce and store enough green energy to cover the electricity needs of three million European households.
The artificial island, which in its initial phase will be the size of 18 football fields, will be linked to hundreds of offshore wind turbines and will supply both power to households and green hydrogen for use in shipping, aviation, industry and heavy transport.
Furthermore, it will connect to several European countries, including Holland and Germany.
The move came as the European Union unveiled plans to transform its electricity system to rely mostly on renewable energy within a decade and increase its offshore wind energy capacity 25-fold by 2050.
“This is truly a great moment for Denmark and for the global green transition,” Danish Energy Minister Dan Jorgensen told a press briefing.
“The energy hub in the North Sea will be the largest construction project in Danish history. It will make a big contribution to the realisation of the enormous potential for European offshore wind,” he said.
The energy island, which will cost around 210 billion Danish kroner ($33.9bn) to build, is an important part of Denmark’s legally binding target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 70 percent by 2030 from 1990 levels, one of the world’s most ambitious.
It will be located 50 miles from the west coast of the Jutland peninsula and will be owned by a partnership of the Danish state and private companies.
However, no date has been set yet for the start of construction of the island.
Denmark also has plans for an energy island in the Baltic Sea. The state will hold a controlling stake in both islands.
-CHK
