Electricity sector in Denmark
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Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...
's western
electrical grid An electrical grid is an interconnected network for electricity delivery from producers to consumers. Electrical grids vary in size and can cover whole countries or continents. It consists of:Kaplan, S. M. (2009). Smart Grid. Electrical Power ...
is part of the
Synchronous grid of Continental Europe The synchronous grid of Continental Europe (also known as Continental Synchronous Area; formerly known as the UCTE grid) is the largest synchronous electrical grid (by connected power) in the world. It is interconnected as a single phase-locked ...
whereas the eastern part is connected to the Synchronous grid of Northern Europe via Sweden. 80% of electricity generated in Denmark comes from renewables (as of 2019). The most important source of electricity production is
wind power Wind power or wind energy is mostly the use of wind turbines to generate electricity. Wind power is a popular, sustainable, renewable energy source that has a much smaller impact on the environment than burning fossil fuels. Historically ...
(57%). Interconnectors to neighboring countries, in particular
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of ...
which exports hydroelectricity and
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...
which exports mostly hydroelectricity and nuclear electricity, provide extra power when electricity consumption exceeds generation. The combination of domestic wind power and Norwegian hydroelectricity provides a stable source of renewable, non-biomass electricity (which would be harder to achieve on wind power alone, without energy storage). Solar power is at 3% of the total generation, but quickly expanding. Denmark also burns biomass and other combustible renewables to generate electricity, and it constitutes 20% of the electricity production. Fossil fuels and waste provide another 20% (as of 2019). Denmark is a net importer of electricity. The flow of electricity between Denmark and the countries it has interconnectors with (Norway, Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands), and the direction of that flow, is highly variable and depends on current demand and current Danish wind power output. Danish average consumption of electricity per person was 0.8 MWh less than EU 15 average in 2008. Denmark has average electricity
cost In production, research, retail, and accounting, a cost is the value of money that has been used up to produce something or deliver a service, and hence is not available for use anymore. In business, the cost may be one of acquisition, in whic ...
s (including costs for cleaner energy) in EU,Forbedring af den nationale elprisstatistik for erhverv
page 7. '' Danish Energy Agency''
but general taxes increase the
price A price is the (usually not negative) quantity of payment or compensation given by one party to another in return for goods or services. In some situations, the price of production has a different name. If the product is a "good" in the ...
to the highest in Europe.Electricity and natural gas price statistics
''EuroStat'', May 2015.
In 2015, supply security was over 99.99%, among the highest in the world. The Danish
electricity market In a broad sense, an electricity market is a system that facilitates the exchange of electricity-related goods and services. During more than a century of evolution of the electric power industry, the economics of the electricity markets had u ...
is a part of the Nord Pool Spot power exchange.


Wind power in Denmark

Denmark invested in the wind power development in the 1970s and has had the highest wind share in the world ever since; wind produced the equivalent of 42% of
Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...
's total electricity consumption in 2015. Danish consumption of wind turbine generated electricity is the highest in the world per person: 1,218 kWh in 2009. Denmark produced more wind power per person in Denmark in 2009 than either
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...
or the UK produced nuclear power per person in their respective countries.


Gross electricity consumption & production in GWh with renewables share


Consumption

According to Nordel annual statistics Denmark's total electricity consumption totaled 36,392 GWh in 2006. Consumption increased about 3% in the period from 2001 to 2006 (in the same time-frame Sweden saw a 3% reduction, Norway a 2% reduction and Finland a 10% increase).Capacity for Competition, Investing for an Efficient Nordic Electricity Market Report
, The Nordic competition authorities 1/2007; Capacity and electricity consumption page 58
Danish consumption of wind-generated electricity topped the world per person: 1,218 kWh. The renewable electricity-sources may give some protection against high annual changes. Electricity consumption fell in Denmark only 4% in the 2009-2008 recession (while falling 7.1% in
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...
, 7.9% in
Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bot ...
and 8.6% in the UK; in
Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its ...
consumption fell only 0.9%). Danish average consumption of electricity per person was 0.8 MWh less than the EU 15 average of 7.4 MWh in 2008.Energy in Sweden, Facts and figures 2009 and 201
2009 T25
an
2010 T49
In 2019, Danish industry paid around 8
eurocent There are eight euro coin denominations, ranging from one cent to two euros (the euro is divided into a hundred cents). The coins first came into use in 2002. They have a common Obverse and reverse, reverse, portraying a map of Europe, but each cou ...
/kWh for the electricity cost, less than the EU average of 12 c. In 2014, Danish industry paid around 32øre/kWh for the electricity cost, about EU average. Denmark has average electricity
cost In production, research, retail, and accounting, a cost is the value of money that has been used up to produce something or deliver a service, and hence is not available for use anymore. In business, the cost may be one of acquisition, in whic ...
s (including consumer-paid incentives (PSO); costs for cleaner energy) in EU,Electricity prices for industrial consumers
''
Eurostat Eurostat ('European Statistical Office'; DG ESTAT) is a Directorate-General of the European Commission located in the Kirchberg, Luxembourg, Kirchberg quarter of Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. Eurostat's main responsibilities are to provide stati ...
'', October 2015
but taxes increase the consumer
price A price is the (usually not negative) quantity of payment or compensation given by one party to another in return for goods or services. In some situations, the price of production has a different name. If the product is a "good" in the ...
to the highest in Europe at around EUR 0.30/kWh. PSO is used for wind, biomass, solar, and district heating; total PSO was DKK 5.8 billion in 2013, of which DKK 3.2 billion went to wind power.Fremskrivning af PSO-udgifter
page 6+17. '' Danish Energy Agency'', 19 May 2014. Retrieved: 17 January 2015.
In 2015, the cost of power was only 32% of the price, while PSO was 9%, and tolls and VAT the remaining 59%.Afgiftsstruktur gør el langt dyrere end olie
''CSR.dk'', 29 February 2016
As new
data center A data center (American English) or data centre (British English)See spelling differences. is a building, a dedicated space within a building, or a group of buildings used to house computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunic ...
s come online,
Energinet.dk Energinet is the Danish national transmission system operator for electricity and natural gas. It is an independent public enterprise owned by the Danish state under the Ministry of Climate and Energy. Energinet has some 1150 employees, a ...
expects consumption to increase by 3.8 TWh in 2023 and by 13 TWh in 2040, compared to 2015. Due to exchange with other countries, Danish consumption of electricity is different from its production. The Environment declaration shows how the physical power is composed of different fuel sources. The General Declaration differs due to trade with green certificates, and does not show actual composition. Due to more wind in Denmark and more
precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. ...
in Norway and Sweden, Danish electricity went from 1,216 kg per household in 2014 to 808 kg in 2015 (182g/kWh in 2014). 58% came from wind, water and sun, 19% from coal&lignite, and 4% from nuclear.


Production


Mode of production

The total installed power capacity was 12.5 GW in 2001 and in the end of 2006 12.7 GW including 9.5 GW from natural gas, coal and oil and 3.1 GW wind power. Denmark has almost no
hydropower Hydropower (from el, ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to Electricity generation, produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by energy transformation, converting the Pot ...
, and no
pumped storage Pumping may refer to: * The operation of a pump, for moving a liquid from one location to another **The use of a breast pump for extraction of milk * Pumping (audio), a creative misuse of dynamic range compression * Pumping (computer systems), the ...
. Denmark had the 6th best
energy security Energy security is the association between national security and the availability of natural resources for energy consumption. Access to (relatively) cheap energy has become essential to the functioning of modern economies. However, the uneven ...
in the world in 2014, although this includes non-electrical energy. Denmark has 1250 MW of methane-fueled distributed power plants supplying district heating. Their electricity production decreased to a third during the ten years from 2010 to 2019, but power capacity remained the same
Current power system data
are provided by
Energinet.dk Energinet is the Danish national transmission system operator for electricity and natural gas. It is an independent public enterprise owned by the Danish state under the Ministry of Climate and Energy. Energinet has some 1150 employees, a ...
an
EMD


Power stations


Producers

Main power producing companies operating in the Danish market are Ørsted A/S and
Vattenfall Vattenfall is a Swedish multinational power company owned by the Swedish State. Beyond Sweden, the company generates power in Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The company's name is Swedish for "waterfall", and ...
. The current market structure was designed in 2003–2006 by a number of mergers and transactions. In January 2003, Ørsted (then called DONG Energy) acquires a 64% share in the regional power company EnergiGruppen Jylland, which owned 3.1% of the electricity producer Elsam. At the same year Elsam acquired 78.8% of retail sales operator NESA and later took a full control of the company. At the same time, NESA owned 36% in other electricity producer Energy E2. In 2004, EnergiGruppen Jylland increased its stake in Elsam to 24% and on 10 December 2004 Ørsted and Elsam announce announced their planned merger. Ørsted increased its stake in Elsam to 64.7% while Swedish power producer Vattenfall had acquired a blocking stake of 35.3%. In 2005, Ørsted purchased municipal utilities Københavns Energi and Frederiksberg Forsyning, including their 34% and 2.26% stakes in Energi E2. In May 2005, Ørsted and Vattenfall agreed split of assets in Elsam and Energi E2. Vattenfall received Amager Power Station, Fyn Power Station, Nordjylland Power Station, two decentralised gas-fired plants in
Zealand Zealand ( da, Sjælland ) at 7,031 km2 is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020. It is the 1 ...
, a portfolio of Danish and international wind activities, and a 30% stake in a German wind development for exchange of Vattenfall's 35% stake in Elsam and 40% stake in the Avedøre 2 Power Station. The agreement and merger of Ørsted, Elsam, NESA, Københavns Energi, and Frederiksberg Forsyning to form Ørsted Energy was approved by the
European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body o ...
in 2006 and consequently came into force on 2 July 2006. Due to a reduction in PSO-money, combined heat and power plants receive an estimated DKK 2.5 billion less in 2019.


Competition

The Danish Council decided that the Danish producer Elsam (now Ørsted) abused its dominant position in Denmark to raise prices in the period 2003–2006.


Power outlet

230 V 50 Hz (single phase) and 400 V 50 Hz (three phase) for end-users.


Transmission

Denmark has two separate transmission systems, of which the eastern one is synchronous with Nordic (former NORDEL) and the western one with the
synchronous grid of Continental Europe The synchronous grid of Continental Europe (also known as Continental Synchronous Area; formerly known as the UCTE grid) is the largest synchronous electrical grid (by connected power) in the world. It is interconnected as a single phase-locked ...
.Gellert, Bjarne Christian
Electricity interconnections
''
Energinet.dk Energinet is the Danish national transmission system operator for electricity and natural gas. It is an independent public enterprise owned by the Danish state under the Ministry of Climate and Energy. Energinet has some 1150 employees, a ...
'', 22 August 2011. Accessed: 6 December 2011.
The 600 MW DC Great Belt Power Link connecting the two systems was commissioned only in July 2010, started commercial operations in August 2010, and was inaugurated on 7 September 2010. The
Little Belt The Little Belt (, ) is a strait between the island of Funen and the Jutland Peninsula in Denmark. It is one of the three Danish Straits that drain and connect the Baltic Sea to the Kattegat strait, which drains west to the North Sea and Atlant ...
cables are 400 kV AC at 1,100 MW and replaced overhead wires in 2013.
Bornholm Bornholm () is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland. Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. It has usually been ruled by ...
is connected to
Scania Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conte ...
in Sweden through a cable. The Danish transmission system is owned and operated by
Energinet.dk Energinet is the Danish national transmission system operator for electricity and natural gas. It is an independent public enterprise owned by the Danish state under the Ministry of Climate and Energy. Energinet has some 1150 employees, a ...
, which was created by a merger of power grid operators Eltra, Elkraft System and Elkraft Transmission, and by natural gas transmission system operator Gastra. The merger took place on 24 August 2005 with retrospective effect from 1 January 2005. Eltra and Elkraft were communally owned by the respective region's distribution companies (Eltra west of the
Great Belt The Great Belt ( da, Storebælt, ) is a strait between the major islands of Zealand (''Sjælland'') and Funen (''Fyn'') in Denmark. It is one of the three Danish Straits. Effectively dividing Denmark in two, the Belt was served by the Great Be ...
and Elkraft east of it). The high-voltage transmission assets were transferred to the Danish State and later to Energinet.dk at no cost. Since 1997, Elkraft and Eltra operated as fully unbundled companies from the power generating companies. , nearly all low-voltage (<10 kV) power lines run as underground cables. For medium voltage around 50-60 kV 40% are buried, while 25% of high-voltage (132-400 kV) are ground cables. , Denmark has about 2-3% transmission losses. Denmark sits at an electricity
crossroads Crossroads, crossroad, cross road or similar may refer to: * Crossroads (junction), where four roads meet Film and television Films * ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa * ''Cross Roads'' (film), a 1930 Brit ...
between the larger electricity markets in Scandinavia and Germany, and facilitates power trade between these. In 2014, electricity generation was 592 TWh in Germany, 150 TWh in Sweden, 141 TWh in Norway, and 31 TWh in Denmark. Several direct current cables connect the two Danish systems to neighboring countries. The western Danish power grid is connected to Norway with 1,700 MW (
Skagerrak The Skagerrak (, , ) is a strait running between the Jutland peninsula of Denmark, the southeast coast of Norway and the west coast of Sweden, connecting the North Sea and the Kattegat sea area through the Danish Straits to the Baltic Sea. The ...
) and Sweden with 740 MW (
Konti–Skan Konti–Skan (also known as Kontiskan) is the name of high-voltage direct-current transmission line between Denmark and Sweden. Technical description Kontiskan is a bipolar HVDC scheme. Pole 1 (Kontiskan 1) was originally built in 1965, using ...
). The 700 MW ( COBRAcable) connects Jutland and the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
,Torben Glar Nielsen.
Energinet.dk has approved the business case for Cobra cable
" ''
Energinet.dk Energinet is the Danish national transmission system operator for electricity and natural gas. It is an independent public enterprise owned by the Danish state under the Ministry of Climate and Energy. Energinet has some 1150 employees, a ...
'', 13 January 2014. Accessed: 20 January 2014.
and the 1,400 MW
Viking Link Viking Link is a 1,400 MW HVDC submarine power cable under construction between the United Kingdom and Denmark. Current status Land cables and submarine cables are being installed since 2020 and expected to finish in 2023. As of August 2022 Den ...
is planned to connect Jutland and England.Torben Glar Nielsen.
Denmark set to make billions from electricity interconnector between the UK and Denmark and new interconnection with Germany
" ''
Energinet.dk Energinet is the Danish national transmission system operator for electricity and natural gas. It is an independent public enterprise owned by the Danish state under the Ministry of Climate and Energy. Energinet has some 1150 employees, a ...
'', 16 March 2016. Accessed: 16 March 2016.
Larger alternating current connections also exist; 1,780 MW between Germany and
Jutland Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...
,Skødt, Torben.
Electricity interconnections
" ''
Energinet.dk Energinet is the Danish national transmission system operator for electricity and natural gas. It is an independent public enterprise owned by the Danish state under the Ministry of Climate and Energy. Energinet has some 1150 employees, a ...
'', 20 February 2014. Accessed: January 2015.
and a second 400kV AC line is planned between Jutland and Germany. East Denmark is connected to Germany with 600 MW DC (
Kontek The Kontek HVDC is a long, monopolar 400 kV high-voltage direct current cable between Germany and the Danish island Zealand. Its name comes from "continent" and the name of the former Danish power transmission company "Elkraft", which o ...
) and the 400 MW cable via the
Kriegers Flak ''Kriegers Flak'' is a reef located in the Baltic Sea, north of Rügen, south of Skåne with its west most point about 15 km east of Møn. It is named after the Danish naval officer Christian Krieger, who in 1840 mapped the Baltic Sea. The Dan ...
offshore wind farm Offshore wind power or offshore wind energy is the generation of electricity through wind farms in bodies of water, usually at sea. There are higher wind speeds offshore than on land, so offshore farms generate more electricity per amount of c ...
.Wittrup, Sanne.
Sjælland får ny, millliard-dyr elforbindelse til Tyskland
''
Ingeniøren ''Ingeniøren'' (full name: ''Nyhedsmagasinet Ingeniøren'', literally ''The News Magazine "The Engineer"'') is a Danish weekly newspaper specialising in engineering topics. History and profile The paper has covered science and technology issues a ...
'', 19 December 2014. Accessed: January 2015.
Zealand can import 1,700 MW from Sweden (export capacity is less).
Synchronous condenser In electrical engineering, a synchronous condenser (sometimes called a syncon, synchronous capacitor or synchronous compensator) is a DC-excited synchronous motor, whose shaft is not connected to anything but spins freely.B. M. Weedy, Electric Po ...
s (syncons) assist grid stability; 3 in the western grid and 2 in the eastern grid, some with capacities reaching -140 to 270 MVAr. A limit of ±15 MVAr is set as a measure of grid quality. Total export and import capacities were 2,510 MW and 2,870 MW respectively in 2007. The actual import and export capacities were typically 60% of the nominal capacities. Studies showed inefficient markets in 2006. In 2014 (before cables to Netherlands and Kriegers), Denmark had an electricity interconnection level (transmission capacity relative to production capacity) of 44%, compared to
Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
at 61% and Hungary at 29%. COM/2015/082 final: "Achieving the 10% electricity interconnection target
TextPDF
page 2-5. ''
European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body o ...
'', 25 February 2015
ArchiveMirror
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See also

*
Energy in Denmark Denmark has considerable sources of oil and natural gas in the North Sea and ranked as number 32 in the world among net exporters of crude oil in 2008. Denmark expects to be self-sufficient with oil until 2050.Wind power in Denmark Denmark was a pioneer in developing commercial wind power during the 1970s, and today a substantial share of the wind turbines around the world are produced by List of wind turbine manufacturers, Danish manufacturers such as Vestas—the world's ...
*
Solar power in Denmark Solar power in Denmark is at 2,339 MW (grid-connected) by mid-2022, and contributes to a goal to use 100% renewable energy by 2050. The goal of 200 MW of photovoltaics by 2020 was reached eight years early, in 2012, and 36 MW was being installed e ...
*
Governance of hydropower in Scandinavia Governance of hydropower in Scandinavia, and the implementation of hydropower projects, is controlled by self-organising networks, with an open decision making process.Rhodes, R. A. W. (1996) ‘The New Governance: Governing without Government,’ P ...
*
Nordic energy market Nordic electricity market is a common market for electricity in the Nordic countries. It is one of the first free electric-energy markets in Europe and is traded in NASDAQ OMX Commodities Europe and Nord Pool Spot. In 2003, the largest market shar ...
*
Renewable energy in Denmark Denmark is a leading country in wind energy production and wind turbine production. Wind power alone produced 47% of Denmark's electricity consumption in 2017, and is expected to increase its production by nearly 80% in the years to 2024. Denma ...


References


External links


Statistics from 2006 (in Danish)
figure 10 shows the distribution companies and figure 44 the transmission grid {{Europe topic, Electricity sector in