50Hertz and Energinet have joined forces to fully harvest the offshore wind potential held in the Baltic Sea, power the green transition in Germany and Denmark, and spearhead a new idea for connecting offshore wind farms across borders: the Bornholm Energy Island (BEI) project. This innovative and visionary project will connect multiple wind farms together via a single hub and transport the green electricity that they generate to consumers in both countries while providing transmission capacity for cross-border trading.
The green future of offshore wind hubs and hybrid connections
BORNHOLM ENERGY ISLAND
VISION & TECHNICAL FEATURES
Together, 50Hertz and Energinet want to establish a power hub on the island of Bornholm that is able to provide electricity to consumers in either country, depending on the market and demand in Germany, Denmark and Europe more widely. Electricity generated by the wind farms located off the coast of the island will be centralised at this hub and then converted into high-voltage direct current (HVDC) and transported via 525 kV HVDC sea and land cable systems to onshore substations in Zealand (in Denmark) and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (in Germany). In addition, the BEI project will enable the local community on the island to be connected to both Zealand and continental Europe.
Cooperation between countries is the way forward
50Hertz and Energinet are pioneering innovators. BEI will pave the way to a future in which offshore wind energy is no longer harvested by individual countries alone. Instead, in line with the offshore wind potential held by different countries and electricity demand in these, two or more countries will cooperate to efficiently integrate the green electricity generated by offshore wind farms into their energy systems.
We at 50Hertz and Energinet hold a significant amount of expertise in feeding electricity from offshore wind farms into our power grids. The Kriegers Flak - Combined Grid Solution (KF CGS), our joint project which has been fully operational since 2021, laid the foundations for making hybrid interconnectors a reality in both the Baltic Sea and the North Sea. We will continue to use our know-how to implement ever-evolving, more complex and more efficient on- and offshore energy hubs.
NEWS & EVENTS
Local Plan for Bornholm Energy Island gets green light from Counsil
11.10.2024 – Stations that blend with the landscape and a design that adds recreational value to the area are some of the focal points of the local plan for the onshore stations to Bornholm Energy Island.
The Bornholm Regional Municipality have formally adopted the local plan for the area of the onshore station to Bornholm Energy Island near Aakirkeby – the main town in the southern part of Bornholm. The plan emphasizes the integration of the stations into the landscape, minimizing environmental impact and adding recreational value to the area.
Prior to the local plan the Regional Municipality of Bornholm carried out several public consultations regarding the municipality plan supplement and the local plan in the period of 2022 to 2023.
An architectural process involving the local community has been a further but important step due to the impact of the large and significant construction on Bornholm. The local community were invited by Energinet and the municipality to participate in the process – drawing on their experiences and wishes. Two workshops were held in November 2022 and March 2023, where ideas and concepts were tested.
About Local plan no. 152 for Bornholm Energy Island onshore stations
The local plan sets out the framework for guiding planning decisions in the designated area of the BEI onshore stations including the converter stations, DC breakers, AC substations and connection to the wind turbines.
Next step will be the second public hearing on the environmental impact assessment for the Danish part for the process later this year.
About Municipality plan supplement no. 20 for area use for the BEI onshore stations
The municipality plan supplement regulates the use of areas in a municipality. In this case an area for the onshore stations near Aakirkeby – the main town in the southern part of Bornholm. This plan also sets the framework for the local plan.
An environmental report that summarizes the potential impact of the local plan has been produced alongside the local plan and the municipality plan supplement.
MARKET DIALOGUE
Bornholm Energy Island is one of two Energy Islands being planned in Danish waters as a result of the Danish Climate Agreement adopted by the Danish Parliament in June 2020. Bornholm Energy Island will have a production capacity of 3 GW.
Energinet is an independent public enterprise owned by the Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities. Energinet owns, operates and develops the transmission systems for electricity and gas in Denmark. Energinet’s purpose is to own, operate and develop the overall energy infrastructure and manage related tasks, thus contributing to the development of a climate-neutral energy supply.
50Hertz operates the electricity transmission system in the north and east of Germany, which it expands as needed for the energy transition. Within these regions, 50Hertz and its around 1,600 employees ensure that 18 million people are supplied with electricity around the clock. 50Hertz is a forerunner in the field of secure integration of renewable energy. In our grid area, we want to integrate 100 percent renewable energies securely into the grid and system by 2032 - calculated over the year. The shareholders of 50Hertz are the Belgian holding Elia Group (80 percent), which is listed on the stock exchange, and the KfW bank group with 20 percent.