In order to ensure the security of the electricity supply in Denmark, the Danish authorities have decided to order energy utility Ørsted A/S to continue and resume operations of three of its power station units which use oil and coal as fuel.
The order applies to unit 3 at Esbjerg Power Station and unit 4 at Studstrup Power Station, which both use coal as their primary source of fuel, and unit 21 at Kyndby Peak Load Plant, which uses oil as fuel.
The two latter units have already been decommissioned and preserved, whereas Esbjerg Power Station was scheduled to be decommissioned on March 31, 2023.
In order to ensure the security of the electricity supply, the Danish authorities have today ordered us to continue as well as resume operations at some of our oil- and coal-fired power stations. We will, of course, comply with the Danish authorities’ order, and we’ll now begin preparing and maintaining the units as well as securing the staffing necessary to operate them, said Mads Nipper, Group President and CEO of Ørsted.
However, Ørsted will be facing a number of technical and staffing issues that will have to be solved. Maintenance will have to be carried out at all three units to prepare them for operation during the required period. In addition, it takes highly specialized workers to operate a power station, and they must be trained in operating the specific power station.
Ørsted expects that it will take time to get everything in place, especially for unit 4 at Studstrup Power Station and unit 21 at Kyndby Peak Load Plant, but will make every effort to get the units ready for operation as soon as possible.
We still believe that we, as a society, must phase out the use of gas, oil, and coal as soon as possible, but we’re in the middle of a European energy crisis, and we will, of course, contribute to ensuring the electricity supply to the best of our ability, said Mads Nipper.
The Danish authorities have ordered Ørsted to keep the three units in operation until June 30, 2024, and Ørsted, therefore, maintains its goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2025.
Esbjerg Power Station, coal-fired unit 3 has a capacity of 370 MWe, Studstrup Power Station, coal-fired unit 4 has a capacity of 360 MWe while Kyndby Peak Load Plant oil-fired unit 21 has a capacity of 260 MWe.
