Germany and Denmark announced today plans to move ahead with the Bornholm Energy Island, an offshore wind project capable of providing enough electricity to power more than 3 million homes, following approvals to connect the project to each country.

The scope of the project has also been expanded by 50% to 3 GW of capacity, due to considerations including climate change and energy security, according to a press release by Denmark’s Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities. The press release also called for more international cooperation “to reduce further greenhouse gas emissions and to make of Europe independent from Russian gas and oil.”

Dan Jørgensen, Minister for Climate, Energy, and Utilities of Denmark, said:

“The Energy Island is truly a landmark in energy history and comes at a time where international cooperation is more urgent than ever before.”

Located in the Baltic Sea, the Bornholm Energy Island is a joint project between Denmark and Germany, planned for commissioning in 2030, and one of two offshore wind “energy islands” currently under development by Denmark (the other is located in the North Sea). The project will be connected to Germany by a 470 km underwater cable, and is anticipated to reduce CO2 emissions in Germany by 3.5 million tons annually, beginning in 2030.

The project marks the continued collaboration on renewable energy between the countries, and follows a recent North Sea-focused offshore wind pact signed by Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark to reach combined targets for 65 GW of offshore wind by 2030, and 150 GW by 2050, delivering more than half of the capacity needed to reach EU climate neutrality, with planned collective investments of €135 billion.

Robert Habeck, Germany’s Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, said:

“The cross-border energy cooperation project with Denmark is a flagship project. The green power from “Bornholm Energy Island” will supplement national power generation and reduce our dependence on fossil energy imports. With such projects among European partners we achieve two key goals at the same time: European energy security and climate neutrality.”

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