Modular Energy Island Concept Unveiled – Video

Ørsted and ATP, together with their partners Aarsleff, Bouygues Construction, and Van Oord, have presented their concept of a modular energy island for the forthcoming tender in the Danish North Sea.

The Nordsøens Energiø (North Sea Energy) Island will be an island in constant development, even after it has been built, the developers said.

In the spring of 2021, Ørsted and ATP joined forces to develop ”a groundbreaking and sustainable concept” for the North Sea Energy Island.

Ørsted, ATP, and partners aim to create an island that is constantly evolving, a future-proof project where there will be unlimited space for innovation and adaptation as the green transition develops.

The North Sea Energy Island consists of a small dammed island that can be expanded with flexible modules.

The modules can be added and replaced on an ongoing basis as needed. Modules are built on land and connected to the North Sea Energy Island, so that the island can easily be upgraded to connect more than the 10 GW offshore wind, which is Denmark’s current ambition, the developers said.

The island can also be adapted to accommodate the rapid development of Power-to-X and other technologies in both 2030 and 2050.

”We are ready to deliver an island that embraces the rapid development of green technologies and enables a rapid scaling of the green transition,” Rasmus Errboe, Regional Director for Ørsted in Continental Europe, said.

”The North Sea’s Energy Island will be more than just an island. We believe that our modular concept provides the best conditions for the energy island to be relevant in both 2030 and 2050, and we look forward to the further dialogue with both authorities and decision-makers about the North Sea Energy Island.”

The developers see the flexible modules as the most future-proof solution, and as a direct way to deliver large amounts of green power as quickly as possible.

The modules can be built on land, at the same time as the dammed island and the offshore wind turbines are built at sea, which is expected to provide major time savings during the construction phase.

”We believe that the flexibility of our concept is a great advantage and creates a really good, climate-friendly energy solution,” Claus Wiinblad, Deputy Director of ATP, said.

”It is absolutely crucial when we go into a long-term investment like this. The basis is present for creating a sensible, risk-adjusted return, and at the same time we are investing in the green transition. In this way, Nordsøens Energiø matches both ATP’s climate ambitions and the goal of creating the best possible pensions.”

With the flexible, modular concept, Ørsted and ATP estimate that the energy island in the North Sea can supply green electricity two years before an inflexible, dammed island.

”With this concept, we have taken known technologies and construction methods and put them together in a new, intelligent and groundbreaking way adapted to the harsh environment in the North Sea. This means that we can give the Danes an energy that can ensure an enormous scaling of offshore wind, which from the start is ready for future needs,” Jesper Kristian Jacobsen, CEO of Aarsleff, who heads the contractor consortium for the North Sea Energy Island, said.

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