
The European Commission has provided €645 m in funding for the Danish-German energy project Bornholm Energy Island in the Baltic Sea. It comes from the connecting Europe Facility (CEF) programme and underlines the importance of green transition for the European Union, and of providing financial support for what is believed to be the world’s first hybrid direct current interconnector. Now regulatory path for the project must be defined.
The project, which is being developed jointly by grid operators 50Hertz and Energinet, includes a power hub on the island of Bornholm with two converters, direct current connections to the Danish and German mainland and additional converter systems there for DC/AC conversion. This infrastructure will be used to harvest the planned 3 GW of power from offshore wind farms off Bornholm and make it available to the electricity markets in Germany and Denmark in line with demand. To this end, it is the first time Energinet and 50Hertz have issued a joint tender of cross border electrical infrastructure.
Bornholm Energy Island is an innovative project that is hoped to serve as a model for further interconnections in the North and Baltic Seas. Before the start of the next project phase, which includes the signing of contracts for converters, transformers and other substation technology, regulatory clarity is needed. Consequently, the signing of contracts for the on-going tender will be delayed, though close co-operation with the Danish and German governments will continue.