Electricity sector in Denmark

Old hydro electric powerplant - Harte - Kolding - Denmark
Wind turbines at Randers Fjord, Denmark

Denmark's western electrical grid is part of the Synchronous grid of Continental Europe whereas the eastern part is connected to the Synchronous grid of Northern Europe via Sweden.

In 2022, Denmark produced 35 Terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity, with renewable sources constituting 83.3% of the total electricity mix. Wind energy was the largest contributor at 54%, followed by bioenergy and waste at 23%, and solar energy at 6.3%. Coal accounted for 13% of electricity generation, while natural gas and oil combined for a smaller share of 3.8%.[1][2]

Interconnectors to neighboring countries, in particular Norway which exports hydroelectricity and Sweden which exports mostly hydroelectricity and nuclear electricity, provide extra power when electricity consumption exceeds generation. The combination of domestic wind power and Norwegian hydroelectricity provides a stable source of renewable, non-biomass electricity (which would be harder to achieve on wind power alone, without energy storage).

Denmark is a net importer of electricity. The flow of electricity between Denmark and the countries it has interconnectors with (Norway, Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands), and the direction of that flow, is highly variable and depends on current demand and current Danish wind power output.

Danish average consumption of electricity per person was 0.8 MWh less than EU 15 average in 2008. Denmark has average electricity costs (including costs for cleaner energy) in EU,[3] but general taxes increase the price to the highest in Europe.[4] In 2015, supply security was over 99.99%, among the highest in the world.[5]

The Danish electricity market is a part of the Nord Pool Spot power exchange.

  1. ^ "Denmark 2023 – Analysis". IEA. 2023-12-05. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
  2. ^ "Denmark 2023 Energy Policy Review" (PDF). International Energy Agency (IEA). December 2023.
  3. ^ Forbedring af den nationale elprisstatistik for erhverv page 7. Danish Energy Agency
  4. ^ Electricity and natural gas price statistics EuroStat, May 2015.
  5. ^ "Security of electricity supply remains very high in Denmark". Energinet.dk. Archived from the original on 15 September 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2016.