A new wind farm just off the shore of Denmark is expected to provide enough electricity for up to 10 million households in Europe once operational.
Luxembourg is one of the project's cooperation partners. The investment is meant to help the Grand Duchy improve its climate footprint. Nevertheless, Minister for Energy Claude Turmes stated that he also hopes that some Luxembourgish companies will be able to win one of the tenders.
To bring the project to life, an island the size of 60 football pitches will be created, with the construction works scheduled to start in 2027. The offshore wind farm will feature over 200 wind turbines. Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands are Denmark's cooperation partners for the project.
The wind farm is expected to produce between 10,000 and 12,000 megawatts of electricity, i.e. "one and a half to two Cattenom nuclear plants" as the Minister described it. In comparison, a standard offshore wind farm produces on average 1,500 megawatts.
Luxembourg wants to expand its use of sun and wind energy as well as biogas in the future. Currently, the Grand Duchy imports 85% of its electricity and while there are no plans to change that, investments in projects such as the one in Denmark are meant to guarantee a steady supply of green energy for the country, according to Turmes.
But the project is not just about protecting the environment. It is also expected to be a lucrative opportunity for Luxembourg's economy. The Minister stressed that there are Luxembourg-based companies that are experts in the construction of such artificial islands, citing Jan De Nul from Mamer or ArcelorMittal as examples. The latter would for instance be able to produce and deliver the required steel for the island.
The question of how the electricity will get to Luxembourg has also already been "as good as resolved", Turmes stated. Two transmission lines are currently being constructed, one from Denmark to the Netherlands, which is then expected to continue into Belgium, and another from Denmark to Germany. The Minister compared the electricity grid to a lake which is filled with the produced electricity which in turn is then taken out.
According to Turmes, Luxembourg is "lucky" to be "right in the middle of the biggest lake", i.e. the western European electricity market. The latter includes, among others, Germany, the Benelux countries, Denmark, Austria, and Switzerland. The Minister went on to say that "what is even better is that the lake is becoming increasingly greener", that is to say more renewable energy and less coal or nuclear power. Europe is to become climate neutral by 2050. This is why Luxembourg has set itself "ambitious climate targets" that it needs to meet.
After its construction, Luxembourg will own around 10% of the island. However, this not completely certain yet. The entire project of the Energy Island will cost around €28 billion. The Minister hopes that it will be completed by the end of the decade.
