This is an opinion piece written by Henrik Carstensen, CEO Port of Grenaa and board member of Danish Ports. The article was published in Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten on August 1, 2023.
Rejection of open door projects has major consequences for local areas
If the peripheral municipalities are to keep up with the green transition, we need to ensure
green power in the local areas. Several smaller coastal projects have now been rejected for open door projects,
but these projects could have secured jobs, green investments and growth for the municipalities.
The projects have strong local political support and have been developed in collaboration with the municipalities, but unfortunately
now have long prospects. Several of the smaller coastal projects that have been rejected are good examples of sound projects developed in close collaboration between developers, municipalities and other local stakeholders.
Both Grenaa and Hanstholm offer excellent opportunities for establishing Power-to-X or other energy-demanding facilities, and in both areas, the municipalities and others are working ambitiously together to create the
best possible conditions for utilizing power locally.
In the local areas, there are several good solutions. For example, the power could be used to produce green marine fuel, which is needed in both ports and can be exported from the ports' existing facilities.
The green power could also be used for the facilities that need to be connected if CO2 storage is to be established in the underground off the respective harbors. There are many good solutions, but they all require power. No power - no basis for green business development.
When it comes to new offshore wind projects, future government tenders up to 2030 will be in the North Sea and inland waters as well as on Bornholm. Therefore, one can quickly conclude that now that the door scheme has been closed, there are areas that will be lacking offshore wind projects. Much to the chagrin of local communities, where there are many plans that combine green energy and local growth.
In Grenaa, this is a very unfortunate situation, as Norddjurs Municipality is actively working to become a powerhouse in green energy, and open door projects are a crucial element of this.
One set of rules in open door is also what we know as Green Pool, which means that the offshore wind developer must finance a pool of DKK 165,000 per megawatt to the relevant municipality where the project is established.
The Green Pool can be used for a wide range of municipal initiatives and is administered by the local municipality.
The purpose is to focus on climate and the environment. In the two examples mentioned, Grenaa and Vigsø are now missing out on green
pool funds of just over DKK 126 million.
