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

1.10.2022 11:20:34 CEST | Ørsted A/S | Investor News

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

For further information, please contact:

Media Relations
Carsten Birkeland Kjær
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[e-mail]

Investor Relations
Rasmus Keglberg Hærvig
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[e-mail]

About Ørsted
The Ørsted vision is a world that runs entirely on green energy. Ørsted develops, constructs, and operates offshore and onshore wind farms, solar farms, energy storage facilities, renewable hydrogen and green fuels facilities, and bioenergy plants. Moreover, Ørsted provides energy products to its customers. Ørsted is the only energy company in the world with a science-based net-zero emissions target as validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), and Ørsted aims to deliver a net-positive biodiversity impact from all new renewable energy projects it commissions from 2030 at the latest.   Ørsted ranks as the world’s most sustainable energy company in Corporate Knights' 2022 index of the Global 100 most sustainable corporations in the world and is recognised on the CDP Climate Change A List as a global leader on climate action. Headquartered in Denmark, Ørsted employs 7,292 people. Ørsted's shares are listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen (Orsted). In 2021, the company generated revenue of DKK 77.7 billion (EUR 10.4 billion).  Visit orsted.com or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.

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