Ramboll to Develop North Sea Energy Island’s Electrical Infrastructure

June 27, 2023, by Adnan Memija

Ramboll has won a multi-million contract to develop the electrical infrastructure for one of two offshore energy islands to be developed in Denmark.

Ramboll North Sea Energy Island electrical infrastructure

Acting as a hub, the energy island will gather the power produced by nearby offshore wind farms and distribute it to Denmark and neighboring countries.

As the client, Ramboll will assist the Danish transmission system operator (TSO) Energinet in establishing North Sea Energy Island’s electricity infrastructure.

Ramboll said that the project will be one of the world’s first and largest offshore electrical infrastructure projects of its kind.

With a total value of DKK 225 million (approximately EUR 30 million) and an option for subsequent maintenance, the project will employ 35 full-time workers across the organisation in the coming ten years.

Back in June 2020, Denmark approved the development of the Baltic Sea and North Sea energy islands, with plans for both islands to feature offshore wind power and have Power-to-X capabilities.

“We believe the energy island can be a showcase for innovative and efficient offshore electrical infrastructure, helping pave the way for the future build-out of renewables, including green hydrogen, at global scale”, said Hannes Reuter, managing director for Ramboll’s global energy division.

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The first energy island will be located on the island of Bornholm, some 15 kilometres offshore, and is planned to be completed in 2030.

The island will connect Germany and Denmark to an offshore hub with around 2 GW and up to 3 GW of offshore wind power capacity.

The other project, North Sea Energy Island, will be an artificial island constructed 80 kilometres from the shore of the peninsula Jutland.

By 2033, the island will have a capacity of 3 GW, and by 2040, this figure will rise to 10 GW which is enough to power 10 million homes in Northern Europe.

As reported in the Premium section on Offshore Energy, these offshore wind capacities could potentially be increased, with the Danish Energy Agency now also considering the possibility for the North Sea Energy Island to be capable of having 40 GW of installed offshore wind by 2040.

This is not the first time Ramboll secured work for the Danish energy islands.

Last year, the company was awarded two contracts, one to provide consultancy services on the subsea cable routes and the other to deliver integrated geological models for offshore wind farms related to the energy islands.