Partnership Forms to Turn Bornholm into Global Hub for Green Technologies

September 1, 2022, by Adnan Memija

Several private, state and municipal organisations have formed a partnership, called Baltic Energy Island, on Bornholm with the goal of creating a global hub for green energy innovation, testing, and business development.

The partnership includes the leading offshore wind developer Ørsted, wind turbine manufacturer Siemens Gamesa, the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Energinet, Bornholm’s Regional Municipality, Bornholm’s Energy & Forsyning, the Port of Rønne, and others.

The coalition will focus on areas such as the development of the Baltic Sea as the centre for offshore wind and a green transport hub – and the use of Bornholm as a test island for green energy.

The partners will establish test facilities and develop technologies for energy islands and Power-to-X as well as provide education and training for engineers and companies so that they can become part of the green transition, Energinet said.

In addition, a growth and innovation house will be established where learning from testing and development is used in collaborations between students and businesses with the goal of creating innovative and green business models, the partners said.

Bornholm is expected to be the first place in the world where an energy island is established which can form the basis for the future development of energy islands globally.

A few days ago, the planned offshore wind capacity at the Bornholm Energy Island was increased from 2 GW to 3 GW.

Furthermore, Denmark and Germany entered into an agreement on the establishment of a subsea cable that will run from the energy island to Germany, enabling the offshore wind power to be sent directly from the energy island to the German electricity grid and on to the rest of Europe.

Once completed in 2030, the Bornholm Energy Island is expected to supply up to 4.5 million Danish and German households with green electricity.

According to earlier information from the Government, the capacity of the wind farm(s) around the island could rise up to 3.8 GW, if overplanting is allowed. The possible capacity from overplanting can, on private initiative, be used by the concessionaire for Power-to-X (PtX) projects, for example.