Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) proposes to build an artificial island dedicated to large-scale production of green hydrogen from offshore wind – called “BrintØ” (in English: “Hydrogen Island”) – in the Danish part of the North Sea. The island is expected to be able to supply an unprecedented amount of green hydrogen by 2030 and will thus be a crucial step in securing Europe’s future green energy supply.

The BrintØ project provides a significant contribution to reaching the ambitious targets set by the Danish government earlier this year, as well as the transnational political will demonstrated at the North Sea Summit held the 18th of May in Esbjerg, Denmark.

“The Danish, German, Dutch, and Belgian ambitions for the North Sea show the rest of the world how the green transition can be turbocharged if you dare to think big, internationally and in integrated systems. Green energy will be harvested on a large scale out at sea, tied together by energy islands, converted into green hydrogen, and transported across borders via offshore hydrogen infrastructure. The opportunities are significant, and the Danish BrintØ is the first step in that direction,” says Thomas Dalsgaard, Partner at CIP.

BrintØ could be a first-of-its-kind. BrintØ – and over time other adjacent energy islands – will produce very large amounts of green hydrogen from offshore wind for export to nearby countries, e.g. Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium. BrintØ will thus create a foundation for the production of sustainable green fuels via Power-to-X for trucks, ships and aircrafts. BrintØ can become a showcase for Danish competencies within offshore wind, Power-to-X and green energy systems. This will lead to new export opportunities for Denmark, and thus contribute to significant economic growth and local job creation.

BrintØ is envisaged to be established on the Danish part of Dogger Bank; an area expected to become a central hub for the future build-out of offshore energy infrastructure in the North Sea. The area consists of a 20,000 km2 sandbank and offers some of the world’s best conditions for producing low-cost green electricity, due to low water depths and strong wind resources. With BrintØ, Denmark therefore has a unique opportunity to secure a strategic role in relation to the expected development of a wide-ranging network of offshore infrastructure, spanning from energy islands to power cables and hydrogen pipelines, across the North Sea’s territorial boundaries.

“It is critical that the Danish flag is planted quickly and strategically in the new expansion of green energy infrastructure in the North Sea. This will help to ensure that both our and future Danish and European generations can continue to benefit from the sustainable and inexhaustible energy source that the North Sea offers,” says Thomas Dalsgaard.