Big hitting partnership chosen for potential Danish energy island

VindØ, the consortium of Danish pension funds and utility companies potentially investing in the Danish energy island concept, has chosen a contracting partnership for their project concept. Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), acting as project managers on behalf of VindØ, have selected ACCIONA, DEMA, MT Højgaard International and Boskalis to develop the project. Collectively known as the Njord Group, these four contractors have an impressive track record in marine construction projects.

CIP are building their team ahead of the Danish Energy Agency’s upcoming tender process. Expected to launch by the end of Q3 in 2022, the Agency will request bids for the project to be up and running by 2030. Thomas Dalsgaard, Partner in CIP, said, “ACCIONA, Boskalis, DEME and MT Højgaard International display, individually and as a group, extensive and complementary experience and equipment, and have successfully developed and constructed many similar projects around the world. We are very pleased to enter into this partnership with such a strong set of partners.”

The energy island will be 80-100km from the Danish west coast. An initial 3 GW of offshore wind power is expected, with a future potential of up to 10 GW. In addition, the island will act as a bundling point for several wind farms. Using High-Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) technology to bring together separate farms and transport the electricity to Denmark. A harbour facility will act as a staging point for operations and maintenance (O&M) activities in the area. VindØ are also planning to include energy storage and green hydrogen production.

“Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners has thoroughly screened the most experienced experts and the world’s best-suited contract partners for the Energy Island project. We are confident that the NJORD Group offers the experience and capabilities needed for a successful project execution in a safe and reliable manner, even in a harsh marine environment far offshore in the Danish North Sea.”, added Dalsgaard.

The Njord Group has been involved in several high-profile and innovative marine projects. The Barrow Island project in Western Australia involved the construction of an artificial island in sensitive environmental waters under remote and difficult conditions. Closer to home, the group was responsible for the Øresund bridge connecting Denmark and Sweden.

Speaking on behalf of the Njord Group, Morten Hansen, CEO of MT Højgaard Holding, said, “CIP and the VindØ consortium’s ground-breaking energy island project in the North Sea provides an excellent opportunity for the contractors of the NJORD Group to make a significant contribution to the green transition by leveraging the full force of our combined power of innovation, expertise and services, supported by world-class equipment and professionals. We are focused on ensuring smooth project execution from the detailed planning phase to the point of project finalisation and full operation.”

Further strengthening the energy island’s realisation, Denmark, Belgium and Germany recently signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA). The formal political undertaking will establish an offshore grid connection between Denmark and Germany, which will include the energy island. In a commercial move echoing the political, the Danish transmission operator, Energinet, signed a cooperation agreement with Belgium’s Elia Group regarding an interconnector between the energy island and Belgium.