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reThe Danish Parliament has decided to phase out oil production in the North Sea by 2050. In the longer term, this is the second radical change in energy policy since the 1970s. The Scandinavian state was hit particularly hard in 1973 when OPEC oil cartel states drastically cut oil production in response to the Yom Kippur war. Denmark was highly dependent on oil from the Middle East. More than 90 percent of the oil used came from this region.
Philipp krohn
Business writer, head of “People and companies”.
That is why Denmark began to exploit its oil and gas reserves during this period. Already in the early 1980s, the country was able to produce 5 percent of the oil it needs. More recently, Danish oil companies produced 314,000 tonnes of barrels per day. Compared to the Norwegian and British oil fields, that’s negligible. Of the ten largest oil fields in the North Sea, seven are on Norwegian soil and three on British soil. However, Denmark produced significantly more than domestic demand of 191,000 barrels. In the case of natural gas, exports represent more than half of the production volume.
But the Danes adopted the trend towards climate protection earlier than other countries. This has to do with energy supply, which relies to a greater extent on wind energy. The world’s largest winter turbine manufacturer, Vestas Wind Systems, is headquartered in Denmark, as is the world’s largest operator of offshore wind farms.
Denmark wants to build energy islands in the North Sea
But it also has to do with consumption. Danish citizens only cause 5.5 tons of carbon dioxide per capita per year, which is below the European Union average level of 6.5 tons and well below the German figure of 11 tons, although income per capita is approximately double, around 53,000 euros. it is as high as the EU average.
Mette Frederiksen
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Bild: AP
As in other countries, climate policy is the subject of debate. In times of more conservative governments, their pace was slower, the current Social Democratic Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is more progressive. But there is a national consensus that is quite stable between the parties. After the oil crisis, the slogan was “Towards national oil”, for a long time it has been “Away from oil”. Primary energy consumption has remained constant since the 1970s, although prosperity has increased significantly. With its plan to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, the government has set clear goals.
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The “A Fair Direction for Denmark” plan aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 70 percent by 2030. From now on, the sale of internal combustion engine cars will no longer be allowed. A binding reduction target for agriculture will also be introduced. Within the EU, the country is a pioneer in climate protection. For the 5.8 million Danes, offshore wind capacity will expand over the next ten years to such an extent that, mathematically, it can supply 7.7 million people. That would be a four-fold increase in capacity this year. Denmark wants to build energy islands in the North Sea to which various offshore wind farms can be connected.
