Danish Orsted turns to fossil fuels amid energy crisis – will Europe follow?

YEREVAN (CoinChapter.com) – As European governments brace themselves for what is expected to be a cold winter, Denmark authorities found an alternative solution. Orsted, the country’s largest energy company, will continue or restart operations at three fossil fuel facilities.

Orsted turns to fossil fuels, albeit ‘temporarily’

The company stated that the authorities gave the order to “ensure the security of the electricity supply in Denmark.” The fossil fuel facilities in question are:

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.

stated Orsted.

Mads Nipper, the Orsted CEO, asserted his intention to aid the government in any way possible. He added that the units concerned would need maintenance in order to get them ready for operation. Meanwhile, “highly specialized workers” would also have to be trained to operate the sites.

Notably, Orsted has set itself a goal to be carbon-free by the year 2025, which is unlikely to happen, considering the latest development.

Will other Europe countries follow Denmark?

In late June, the 27 countries of the European Union agreed on draft legislation aimed at slashing EU greenhouse gases by at least 55% in 2030 compared with 1990. Additionally, the decision to introduce a 100% CO2 emissions reduction target by 2035 for new cars and vans will effectively prohibit the sale of new petrol or diesel cars in the EU nations.

While the EU strives to reduce carbon emissions from transportation, will it stand firmly on fossil fuel reduction come winter? While Orsted’s decision will dismay ‘green’ organizations worldwide, the CEO stressed the importance of the decision for Denmark.

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 Nipper.

Germany might also turn to fossil fuels as a “temporary measure” to stave off the energy crisis. German energy company RWE said three of its brown coal units would “temporarily return to [the] electricity market to strengthen the security of supply and save gas in power generation.”

The company also added that each of the units had a 300-megawatt capacity. RWE will limit its deployment until 30 June 2023.