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Author: Anja Fabricius Madsen

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Committed to the SDGs

Written by Anja Fabricius Madsen d. . Uploaded in Bulk.

For Port of Grenaa , it is important that the SDGs are widely embedded in the organisation. Even in the work on the sustainability strategy for 2025, employees have been involved.

Employees are now invited back for debate and joint discussion on how individuals can bring the SDGs into play in their everyday lives. One morning in February, everyone came together for a joint workshop and SDG game at Port Centre. A morning with room for dialogue and broader knowledge of the UN SDGs.

COWI as word and game controller

COWI facilitated the workshop and therefore acted as both word and game master during the morning. Grenaa Port's selected SDGs were highlighted and concrete everyday cases were discussed in the groups, each with its own "game board". A game where it was not about finishing first, but about having a good debate about the green transition.

Concrete proposals for action are prioritised

The result was an effective morning, where everyone had the opportunity to contribute concrete ideas based on their daily work. A lot of good and concrete suggestions for action were collected, after which the management now goes into the "engine room" and does the difficult but important exercise of prioritising which actions are possible to take up.

The Port of Grenaa's sustainability strategy has so far been to target specific and selected elements related to the SDGs.

"As an industrial and commercial port with an organization of only 22 individuals, we can't work on all the SDGs at once. But we can wholeheartedly pursue carefully and strategically selected goals. Actions that make a difference in the short and long term - and make good sense for both the environment and the bottom line," says CEO of Port of Grenaa Henrik Carstensen, who is also very pleased with the commitment of the employees.

"We are already doing many, many good things and we are also on track with several elements of our sustainability strategy. Small and big steps in the right direction towards the green transition", Henrik Carstensen emphasises.

Click here to learn more about the Port of Grenaa's sustainability strategy

Wind turbine tower towed by two trucks

Wind turbine project with cold challenge

Written by Anja Fabricius Madsen d. . Uploaded in Project Cargo, Wind.

Ice in a Swedish harbour sent a large wind turbine project past Port of Grenaa in the spring of 2021. A large area was quickly prepared and all available equipment and crews were deployed.

For months, DHL Global Forwarding was in the planning phase of shipping wind turbine parts to the Stavro onshore wind project in northern Sweden. A Swedish wind farm with two so-called sub-sites totalling 254MW. The wind project was a Siemens Gamesa (SGRE) project consisting of 62 wind turbines to be shipped from Europe and Africa to the Swedish port of Köpmanholmen.

In the transport flow, mill parts also had to be delivered over the winter, when there are ice restrictions in Köpmanholmen and several ports in the Gulf of Bothnia. DHL Global Forwarding had prepared for this and therefore investigated a setup of transhipping the cargo from large vessels to smaller vessels with a higher ice class. That is, ships with, for example, extra reinforcements to ensure that they can sail where severe ice occurs.

In order to create the necessary flexibility in the project, Port of Grenaa was chosen as the hub port for the transhipment of the turbine components. The final setup could only be planned at the last minute, so Port of Grenaa had short preparation time for the task. All conditions related to cranes, equipment, hinterland and water depth were met in Grenaa. And Port of Grenaa was able to step in at short notice. The task consisted of unloading the mill parts to shore, mounting them on new frames and reloading them onto coasters that could call at the port of destination in Sweden. In total, 150 large mill components were handled in Grenaa over the period March to May 2021.

A port that could deliver the whole package

"We had several ports in mind and ended up choosing Port of Grenaa, as they could step in at very short notice in Grenaa. They showed great flexibility, which was needed for this project. In addition, Port of Grenaa was able to supply manpower, cranes, handling equipment in close cooperation with Østship ApS, which has been the coordinating Danish party in this Swedish project. It has been alpha omega to have a cooperation and sparring partner to whom we could confidently entrust such a large part of the task and know that the task would be solved in the best possible way," says Jacob Jensen, Project Manager at DHL Global Forwarding about the choice of Grenaa.

Port of Grenaa established a 20,000 m2 new site in 14 days

"Due to the high level of activity at the port, we had to think outside the box to accommodate the project," says Theis Gisselbæk, CCO at Port of Grenaa. Within 14 days, we set up a 20,000 m2 dockside heavy lift hub area at the port just for the purpose, and our skilled team worked hard to get the space ready before the turbine parts arrived.

Handling equipment and skilled manpower

It wasn't just a new hub area that needed to be established. With three large project carriers arriving in three weeks and outbound vessels departing simultaneously, the port's experienced quayside crew was in extraordinary demand. In addition, most of the equipment pool at Port of Grenaa was in use for the job, including trucks, reach stackers, cranes and other handling equipment. A flexible and skilled crew worked flat out over the two months to complete the job.

At the beginning of the project, Port of Grenaa took delivery of a new mobile crane. A Liebherr 550 (left) with a lifting capacity of up to 144 tonnes, which benefited the project.

"We have worked with Port of Grenaa on several occasions. We know that they also have a strong focus on safety, health and that all guidelines regarding good working conditions and terms are adhered to - even in larger projects like this, where things have to move quickly and in a higher unit", continues Jacob Jensen, Project Manager at DHL Global Forwarding.

Good and strong cooperation with local companies

The project has not only been limited to crews and equipment at the port of Grenaa, but has also involved several local companies in Grenaa. The size of the project has meant that many actors have been involved. There has been good co-operation and co-ordination between other tasks and operations at the port to ensure that the project was completed on time.

onshore wind tower

NRGi ensures 100% green power for Port of Grenaa

Written by Anja Fabricius Madsen d. . Uploaded in Energy & Innovation.

100% Danish produced and climate friendly power will in the future drive the activities at Port of Grenaa and cement the port's strong ambitions for the green transition. This is the result of a new supplier agreement that has just been signed with the NRGi Group.


Port of partnerships for a green world 2025

This is the strategic ambition of one of Denmark's major commercial and industrial ports, which is stepping up its efforts to contribute to Danish climate goals in a new green ten-year partnership agreement with NRGi. In future, the energy group will ensure that the port's operations are powered by green electricity from renewable sources, and in the longer term even supply locally produced power from newly established projects in the local area.

Shared ambitions for a greener world

"The world is changing and the Port of Grenaa is changing with it. It is both our desire and obligation to contribute to creating green growth and to promote sustainability wherever possible - internally and externally. Therefore, we are pleased to enter into an agreement with NRGi, who shares our ambitions for a greener world," explains Henrik Carstensen, CEO at Port of Grenaa.

"The Port of Grenaa works actively with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, and with this agreement, we have placed particular emphasis on the possibility of having a partner that can offer climate-friendly power and has the desire and ambition for a locally anchored collaboration in the long term," adds Kirsten Hvid Schmidt, CFO at Port of Grenaa.

Well in line with the NRGi Group's wishes

On the other side of the partnership, NRGi is pleased with the agreement, which fits well with the Group's desire to engage in a collaboration that not only supports but accelerates the green transition.

"We look forward to entering into a partnership where we can contribute to promoting the green transition locally in the area and in the longer term, that the cooperation contributes to producing more green power for the benefit of the entire energy system," says Jakob Bundgaard, CEO at NRGi Renewables.

"A ten-year agreement has been signed where NRGi will initially service the port with green power from NRGi's own wind turbines at Tagmarken in Thisted. The ambition is that Port of Grenaa contributes to the realisation of a future project by entering into a ten-year PPA (fixed price agreement). The agreement provides security of electricity billing on a project that will be established without subsidies and which will ultimately contribute with more green power in the East Jutland electricity grid to the benefit of us all", states Jakob Bundgaard.

About Port of Grenaa
Port of Grenaa is one of Denmark's largest commercial and industrial ports with a central location and plenty of room for development. Access to the sea is popularly what Port of Grenaa lives by. A proud hub in the centre of Denmark - the gateway to Kattegat.

About NRGi
NRGi is a champion and accelerator for the green transition in Denmark - and for a better future. NRGi is owned by 220,000 shareholders and consists of 1,500 dedicated employees, all contributing to a greener and more prosperous Denmark.

Portrait photo

The best alternative to Hesselø offshore wind farm remains in Kattegat

Written by Anja Fabricius Madsen d. . Uploaded in Energy & Innovation, Wind.

The Danish Energy Agency has put the tender for the Hesselø Offshore Wind Farm in the Kattegat on standby, and is instead screening alternative areas for a new wind farm. "An offshore wind farm in the Kattegat should remain a top priority as it contributes to green power in Eastern Denmark and thousands of jobs", says Henrik Carstensen, CEO of Port of Grenaa.

Need for renewable wind energy in Eastern Denmark

However, when a soft clay bottom in June 2021 put the tender for Hesselø on hold, the Danish Energy Agency started screening for alternative sites for a new offshore wind farm, both in and outside the Kattegat.

Henrik Carstensen emphasises that there are several important incentives for prioritising a new park in Kattegat over another park in the North Sea or Bornholm:

"It is a fact that electricity consumption in Eastern Denmark is increasing, especially in the metropolitan area. At the same time, cogeneration plants are being closed in the area. It is therefore crucial that extra efforts are made to prioritise the establishment of a new offshore wind farm in the Kattegat, which can secure the future supply of green power to Eastern Denmark. More generally, a new Kattegat wind farm will contribute to a sustainable balance in Denmark's electricity infrastructure, as offshore wind development is spread over several geographical areas."

Offshore wind farm in Kattegat will create thousands of jobs

The establishment of an offshore wind farm in Kattegat will also have a decisive impact on growth and employment in East Jutland. An assessment by the Danish Energy Agency and Statistics Denmark shows that the Anholt offshore wind farm created up to 8,000 jobs during the construction phase. As the new offshore wind farm agreed at Hesselø in the Kattegat is more than twice the size of Anholt Offshore Wind Farm, the potential for thousands of new jobs in the area is significant.

Port of Grenaa is ready as a professional wind port

Port of Grenaa is internationally recognised as a professional wind port. The port's extensive know-how as a base and service centre for wind turbine projects was built up through the establishment of the Anholt Offshore Wind Farm. Henrik Carstensen emphasises that it will be a great benefit for East Jutland to maintain this expertise as a position of strength:

"Port of Grenaa already has space, equipment and an experienced crew. The region could build on our expertise to the great benefit of growth and new jobs. We are fully prepared to support the establishment of a new offshore wind farm in the Kattegat."