Ørsted to shut down its last coal-fired combined heat and power plant, Esbjerg Power Station, located in the Western part of Denmark.
Having previously been one of Europe’s most coal-intensive companies, since 2006, it has reduced its coal consumption significantly.
It has achieved this by reducing its number of heat and power plants, as well as conversions to certified sustainable biomass, instead of coal.
With this, the company will have shut down its last coal-fired heat and power plant, and Ørsted’s entire energy generation will be essentially fossil-free, said the organisation.
Ole Thomsen, senior vice president and head of Ørsted’s bioenergy business, said: “Shutting down the last of our coal-fired heat and power plants marks the end of a chapter in our green transformation. For many years, Esbjerg Power Station has been a very important contributor to the Danish energy system, delivering electricity and stability to the power grid and district heating to the municipality of Esbjerg.
“The Danish authorities ordered us to continue operations at Esbjerg Power Station until 31 August to ensure the security of the electricity supply. Naturally, we complied with the order, but we believe that we, as a society, must phase out the use of gas, oil and coal as soon as possible, and with the close down of the heat and power plant, we’re well on track to becoming the first major energy company to completely transform its energy production from fossil fuels to renewable energy.”
On 31 August, Ørsted will also be shutting down the coal-fired unit 4 at Studstrup Power Station as well as Kyndby Power Station’s unit 21.
Ørsted still has coal as a reserve fuel at Studstrup Power Station’s unit 3, while a large wood pellet silo is being rebuilt after a fire.
Ørsted expects to get the silo ready again before the end of 2024, and then Ørsted will no longer either have or use coal as a reserve fuel.
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