Dong Energy Reveals '2020 Plan'

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland) - Danish energy giant Dong Energy A/S (Fredericia, Denmark) has placed offshore wind firmly at the centre of its investment strategy with plans to quadruple its capacity by 2020.

The company has outlined four ambitious goals over the next seven years as well outlined the energy markets that it no longer wishes to operate in. The company said:

• In 2020, the installed offshore wind capacity must be 6,500-megawatts (MW). In 2012, the capacity was 1,700 MW.

• In 2020, biomass must constitute at least 50% of Danish heat and power production. In 2012, biomass constituted 21%.

• In 2020, the oil and gas production must be 150,000 barrels of oil equivalent (boe) per day. In 2012, the daily production was 78,000 boe/day.

• In 2020, annual energy savings for Danish customers must be at least 5.9 terawatt hours (TWh) compared to the 2006 baseline. In 2012, the annual savings were 1.6TWh.

However, the company has also revealed the losers in its new strategy. It said that it no longer plans to invest in liquefied natural gas (LNG), gas storage, onshore wind power, hydropower, gas-fired power stations, waste-based power stations and electric cars.

The company has also set out bullish goals with regard to cutting the cost of electricity from offshore wind by 2020. It said that electricity from offshore wind power "must be below €100 per megawatt hour (MWh)". In 2012, the price was approximately €160 per MWh.

This is well below the U.K. government's demand that offshore wind electricity costs be reduced to €114 per MWh by 2020.

"It's very challenging but we think it's very much a realistic and achievable target," claimed Benj Sykes, DONG U.K.'s wind power director. The company said it can be achieved by using much larger turbines -- up to 8-10 MW by 2020.

Two weeks ago, Dong took ownership of the U.K.'s first dedicated offshore wind turbine in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The €58 million ($76 million) offshore wind terminal has been handed over by Belfast Harbour (Belfast) in preparation for the U.K.'s largest rollout of offshore windfarms.

The harbour will first support the development of the West of Duddon Sands windfarm in the Irish Sea, a 389 MW project being built jointly by Dong and ScottishPower Renewables (SPR) (Glasgow, Scotland), part of Spanish energy giant, Iberdrola SA (MCE:IBE) (Bilbao, Spain). For additional information, see March 1, 2013, article - U.K. gets First Offshore Wind Terminal .

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