With global goals to cut carbon emissions and fight climate change, governments are looking towards renewable energy solutions. We´re convinced offshore wind will play a key role in the shift towards a greener future. In fact, offshore wind power is currently the fastest growing energy technology in Europe.
Our own green transformation has accelerated in recent years. We took the first step already in 1991, when we built the world’s first offshore wind farm, Vindeby, off the coast of the Danish island Lolland.
While Vindeby is today considered the cradle of the offshore wind industry, it wasn’t until a decade later that we built our next offshore wind farm, also in Denmark. And then, in 2006, we inaugurated Barrow, our first UK-based offshore wind farm.
This kicked off a journey of international growth and fruitful technology innovation which reached a peak in August 2022 when our giant Hornsea 2 offshore wind farm entered full operation. The UK wind farm is the largest in the world, has a capacity of 1.3 GW, and is based on turbines around 20 times as powerful as the ones used for Vindeby.
The target was ambitious
The results speak for themselves:
- We’ve pioneered offshore wind in several new markets, including Taiwan and the US, creating jobs and economic activity in the process
- We’ve broken the record for the world’s largest offshore wind farm several times over, most recently in 2022, when Hornsea 2 entered commercial operations
- In 2017, in Germany, we submitted the first zero-subsidy bid in an offshore wind auction. Through an industry-leading approach to corporate power purchase agreements, we are now in a position to commence construction of wind farm Borkum Riffgrund 3
- Since 2006, our carbon emissions have been reduced by 89%. And we have decided to completely phase out coal in 2023*, which will enable us to reach a 98% reduction in carbon emissions. Ørsted has set the target to become a carbon-neutral company by 2025
Just over a decade ago, we were one of the most coal-intensive power utilities in Europe. Today, we’re the world’s most sustainable energy company, and a global leader in the transition to green energy.
Right now, we are at a very important point in history where renewables have become cheaper than conventional fuels. This means that these fuels will be the economic and rational choice going forward as well as being the sustainable choice.
Today, we are the global leader in offshore wind. We construct and operate offshore wind farms in Denmark, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Taiwan and the US.
Our strategy is to continue to lead from the front, with an aim to reach a total of 30 GW offshore wind capacity by 2030.
* Following orders from the Danish authorities, Ørsted must delay its target to stop using coal one year to 2024. Ørsted maintains its goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2025.
To ensure the security of the electricity supply in Denmark, the Danish authorities have decided to order Ørsted to continue and resume operations of three of its Danish power station units. This applies to two units which use coal as their primary source of fuel, and one which uses oil as fuel. One of these is Ørsted’s last coal-fired powerplant in operation, scheduled to be decommissioned on 31 March 2023, and the two other units have already been decommissioned.
The Danish authorities have ordered Ørsted to keep the three units in operation until 30 June 2024.
