Danish authorities order Ørsted’s oil- and coal-fired power stations into operation

In order to ensure the security of the electricity supply in Denmark, the Danish authorities have decided to order Ørsted to continue and resume operations of three of its power station units which use oil and coal as fuel.

This 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 31 March 2023.

Mads Nipper, Group President and CEO of Ørsted, says:

“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. 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.”

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 specialised 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.

The Danish authorities have ordered Ørsted to keep the three units in operation until 30 June 2024, and Ørsted therefore maintains its goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2025. 

Facts about the power station units:
Esbjerg Power Station, unit 3: Coal-fired, can generate 370 MW of electricity
Studstrup Power Station, unit 4: Coal-fired, can generate 360 MW of electricity
Kyndby Peak Load Plant, unit 21: Oil-fired, can generate 260 MW of electricity