Denmark achieves historic coal-free energy production – A greener life, a greener world

By Anders Lorenzen, in Thisted, Denmark

Denmark’s only remaining coal-fired power stations have not been switched on since May. As a result, the Scandinavian country known for its high wind power generation has not burned coal for the past three months and is agonisingly close to a coal-free grid.

Denmark’s historic coal-free feat

It is a historic feat celebrated by politicians and energy experts. The last time Denmark went three months without burning coal was before the 19th century.

This achievement should be seen in the light of Denmark last year’s retirement of three coal-fired power plants, leaving Nordjyllandsværket in Aalborg, the fourth-largest city and located in the industrial heartland of northern Jutland, as the last remaining coal-fired operation.

Due to Denmark’s electrified heating system, the plant mainly produces electricity for heating. During the summer, the demand for heat has been extremely low, contributing to the historic achievement.

The city of 150,000 inhabitants also receives heat from Denmark’s largest cement factory, Aalborg Portland, and the waste-to-heat operation Nordværk. 

Denmark’s Rapid phaseout of coal

Since 2010, Denmark has rapidly been phasing out its coal consumption, which has declined by 90%. Just three years ago, at 3.7 million tonnes of CO2, coal accounted for nearly one tenth of Denmark’s total emissions.

To avoid turning on coal again, Aalborg’s municipality is working hard to ramp up green solutions.

The world’s largest heat pump is being built in Aalborg

Aalborg Forsyning, which owns Nordjyllandsværket, is currently undertaking a huge, ambitious project: the world’s largest heat pump.

The gigantic heat pump will utilise ocean water to generate heat.

Additionally, Aalborg Forsyning hopes to receive extra excess heat from Portland Aalborg and other industrial operations. Connecting giant electric kettles running on green electricity and storing heat are also part of the solutions that they hope will keep the coal plant shut down.

Avoiding the biomass controversy

Part of Denmark’s phase-out of coal has not always involved shutting down coal plants; instead, it has switched them from coal to biomass, a move that has been controversial not only in Denmark but also in the UK, such as at its biggest power plant, Drax.

Depending on how you source the biomass, some analysts and campaigners have argued that using biomass can result in more CO2 emissions than burning coal.

Aalborg Forsyning does not want to adopt the solution of switching from coal to biomass, so it is taking what others might call more genuine green options.

Too high a reliance on renewable energy?

But is Denmark’s phasing out of fossil fuels going too fast? Some experts raise concerns that higher reliance on intermittent renewable energy and lesser reliance on baseload energy could put Denmark at risk of energy shortages.

Wind turbines power nearly half of Denmark’s electricity needs

As of 2023, at 49% Denmark gets nearly half of its electricity from wind power, and 8% from solar power, with baseload power at around 20%

Denmark has set a target of completely phasing out coal by 2028, and energy analysts and government officials will be keenly monitoring whether that target has been reached three years early. 

Can Denmark quit coal ahead of its target?

But before that, Denmark will have to go through a winter where Denmark’s remaining coal-fired plant, Nordjyllandsværket, could be switched again, or we will see whether the green solutions Aalborg Forsyning is working on can be a reality soon enough to write another chapter in Denmark’s green energy history.

Anders Lorenzen is the founding Editor of A greener life, a greener world.