‘Denmark is showing the world what is possible': how the North Sea became the ‘green power plant of Europe'
Blustery, relatively shallow, and a stone's throw from northern Europe, the North Sea's natural energy will supply clean, affordable power long into the future. And this abundance of renewable energy sources is inspiring innovators to create new green technologies that could revolutionise notoriously dirty industries and create a wealth of new opportunities.
At the moment, more than 80% of Europe's offshore wind capacity connected to the grid is in the North Sea – more than 25 gigawatts of clean energy generation. Now the North Sea nations plan to ramp up renewable activity even more. In 2024, the governments of Belgium, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands, joined by France, Norway, Luxembourg and the UK, increased their offshore wind targets from 30GW to 120GW by 2030, and to 300GW by 2050. This equates to more than 50% of the renewable generation needed to deliver a climate-neutral EU.
As the region develops to help meet renewable ambitions, this could accelerate growth and demand for skills in related sectors, such as subsea cabling and offshore platforms. Plus, generating clean energy is only part of the equation – storing it and transporting it are two key factors. Supportive technologies are needed to do both effectively. So how can we make best use of this wealth of energy from the 'green power plant' of Europe?
In Denmark, the first hydrogen molecules have already been produced to power what will become the largest factory in the world to generate e-methanol, for use in the shipping industry. This is Kassø, in southern Denmark, where engineer and project manager Holger Riess at Siemens Energy has been busy managing the build of a 50 megawatt (MW) electrolyser plant – powered by renewables.
'Of course it's important for the climate but there's also a strong business case for the shipping industry,' says Riess. When the electrolyser is up and running, it will split water into its molecular parts, creating an annual 6,000 tonnes of carbon-free hydrogen – which will then be synthesised with carbon dioxide to produce e-methanol. Every year, the plant will generate 42,000 tonnes of e-methanol for use by the maritime and shipping industry. An alternative to fossil fuel, e-methanol will power container ships transporting goods by sea, more cleanly.
Today, shipping is responsible for 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, or some 1,000 million tonnes (Mt) of CO2 a year, and the sector is under orders to clean up. E-methanol is emerging as a solution for large cargo ships that are too big to electrify. 'Shipping emits the equivalent [CO2 emissions] of a large country,' says Riess. 'E-methanol can save a tremendous amount of emissions.' Most fuel made at the Kassø plant will be used by Danish shipping group Maersk. A 2,000-container ship – relatively small – running on e-methanol in the Baltic is already saving 100 tonnes of carbon dioxide a day, says Riess. Larger ships carry some 16,000 containers and the potential savings are huge, according to Riess, with around 55,000 ships currently running on fossil fuels. 'Sending goods via carbon neutral shipping will also help other industries to meet their climate targets.'
Once a chemical engineer in oil and gas, Riess is happy to have switched over to renewables. More than 90% of oil and gas workers have skills that could transfer to wind, carbon capture and clean hydrogen energy production, according to the lobby group Offshore Energy UK.
'I have two daughters, and I'm happy that I can do my part to leave them a cleaner planet,' says Riess. After nearly three years, he's witnessed the project develop from an empty space into a facility poised to crank into action and he's played a leading role. 'If you had asked me where I would be working at this point in my career, I would never have guessed,' says Riess. 'What we've been able to realise here is a significant step forward for the industry. I'm so proud to be part of it.'
Connecting the vast resources of offshore wind to national grids requires powerful infrastructure to balance and regulate supply and demand, and over the next few years, generation will soar as new facilities come on stream. Some 13.5 miles (22km) off the Danish west coast, Denmark's largest offshore wind power plant will become operational in 2026 – this is the 1,000MW Thor, capable of supplying more than 1m households with green electricity.
In Copenhagen, electrical engineer Josephine Krumhoff is part of a Siemens Energy team coordinating a number of transformers and shunt reactors that make up the onshore substation that will ultimately help integrate Thor's clean energy to Denmark's grid. During a busy few months, the first units have been manufactured and gone through factory testing. 'It's been a steep learning curve,' says Krumhoff. 'Thor is one of the biggest projects in Denmark, so to see the work that goes into it and how it comes to fruition is eye opening.'
Krumhoff began working on the substation units as a postgraduate student before joining Siemens Energy full-time in spring 2024. 'I really love my job,' says Krumhoff. 'And with a project like this, you can't wait to get to work. It's inspiring to work on something that will have such a lasting positive impact,' she says.
Across the sea in Hull, manufacturing apprentice Dane Glenn has grown used to the size of the 70-tonne offshore turbine blades made at the Siemens Gamesa site where he's worked for the past 14 months. Before applying for an apprenticeship, Glenn worked at a local supermarket. Now, working alongside other apprentices and with the support of a mentor, he's swapped stacking shelves for building turbine blades. Some 2,500 blades have already been made at the factory, which is the UK's leading offshore wind blade manufacturer. These are destined for offshore windfarms – 180 of these 108-metre blades were built and shipped to the 882MW Moray West windfarm off the coast of Scotland, which will supply energy for up to 1.33m homes when it comes online later this year.
In the coming months, Glenn will start working on even larger blades, reaching 115 metres, for delivery to ScottishPower for use in more North Sea offshore wind. He has just returned from a trip to Denmark to share work insights with colleagues. 'We've taken a lot back that we can use as we begin to transition [to producing larger blades].' With a maths, science and engineering background in school, Glenn is aiming for a qualification to support his career in clean energy. 'My goal is to get a degree in engineering. It's something I've always wanted to do. It was just a question of finding the right opportunity.'
For the clean energy revolution, energy hubs such as the North Sea will play a leading role in powering nations and demonstrating what is possible. And with more projects comes increased demand for more people to join the sector to support further development of Europe's green power plant. As Krumhoff says: 'With more and more energy projects emerging, it's the natural way forward.'
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