WindEurope hits at pause in Denmark's open-door offhsore wind scheme

Industry group WindEurope has lambasted the Danish government’s decision to halt the country’s “open door” scheme for offshore wind development, saying the move creates uncertainty for 20 GW of projects currently under planning and development.

“This decision is completely absurd – especially at a time when the EU is determined to facilitate rather than obstruct the build-out of renewables and is seeking a more flexible approach to what governments can and cannot do in support of this,” said WindEurope chief executive Giles Dickson.

It was announced on Monday that Denmark is suspending the scheme because it could be in breach of EU state aid rules.

The “open door” procedure allows developers to apply to develop offshore wind projects on their own initiative, giving them more flexibility with respect to project size and location, which can create more cost-competitive projects, WindEurope explains. No subsidies are involved.

The organisation said that putting this “established and effective” procedure on hold will undermine Denmark’s target of 13 GW of offshore wind by 2030, and hence Europe’s wider targets for wind deployment in the North Sea and Baltic Sea.

The potential wind farms under this scheme include plans by Ørsted (CPH:ORSTED) and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) to develop 5.2 GW of projects.

In a LinkedIn post today, Ørsted chief executive Mads Nipper called “on every responsible politician and agency in Denmark and EU to help find a swift resolution.”

"The world and especially Europe desperately needs to roll out renewable energy at an unprecedented speed. And the so-called Open Door Offshore wind scheme in Denmark is one way to achieve that. For example, we at Ørsted with our partner CIP are ready to build up to 5.2 GW capacity. This decade!” he commented.

Choose your newsletter by Renewables Now. Join for free!