Infranode, a Nordic €750m+ under management infrastructure fund, has partnered with the Port of Esbjerg to invest up to one billion Danish crowns into new infrastructure for the wind energy industry.
Investments will be made available gradually as manufacturers of wind turbine components and offshore wind service providers, including storage and preassembly, expand their businesses. As many as 2,000 new jobs are expected to be created.
"There are currently prospective projects of up to 100 GW being installed in the North Sea by 2030 - a fivefold increase compared to today. This will require wind turbines of even larger sizes than the ones in operation today. And in this context, the new facilities in the Port of Esbjerg will contribute to the sustainable development by reducing the costs of transportation between production sites and installation sites," Infranode wrote in a press release.
To this Flemming N. Enevoldsen, Chairman, the Port Esbjerg, added, "With this new partnership, the City of Esbjerg, the Port of Esbjerg, and Denmark will be even better prepared to seize opportunities to create green growth and new jobs in the massive expansion of offshore wind power in the North Sea as we approach 2030."
Joel Löfroth, who’s in charge of Infranode's activities in Denmark, also said, "This investment is part of our strategy of being a long-term partner to the public sector in the green transition currently unfolding in Denmark and throughout the Nordic region, and we look forward to investing in more Danish infrastructure projects."
About 80% of the offshore wind capacity installed in Europe today was shipped from Esbjerg. In the record year of 2019, more than 1,500 MW of offshore wind turbine components were shipped from the Danish seaport.
"We have a really strong platform in Esbjerg and in all of Denmark in terms of the green energy potential. The physical settings are in place at the Port of Esbjerg, and this agreement will set the base for the necessary financial capabilities for unlocking the huge potential, so we can establish the necessary production capacity," Dennis Jul Pedersen, CEO, the Port Esbjerg, summed up.
Photo: Infranode