Ørsted Closes the Book on Coal

On August 31, Danish energy producer Ørsted shut down their last coal burning powerplants. The closure of Esbjerg Power Station and unit 4 of Studstrup Power Station signals the end of an era.

Studstrup Power Station, which housed one of Ørsted’s last operational coal power units, now decommissioned. The power station still has a wood-pellet fired generator. Photo credit: Nils Jepsen (CC BY 2.5)

Ørsted heavily depended on coal not long ago. As recently as 2006, they ranked among the world’s most coal-intensive energy companies. Esbjerg Power Station alone consumed 500,000 tons of coal each year, releasing 1.2 million tons of carbon dioxide in the process.

But those days have ended. Ørsted refitted some of their coal generators burn sustainable biomass—such as unit 3 at Studstrup, which now burns wood pellets. Many more generators were decommissioned, replaced by solar and wind. Compared to their 2006 carbon emissions, Ørsted had already achieved 92% reduction before the closure of these last two coal-fired generators. For extra measure, they also decommissioned an oil-burning generator at Kyndby Power Station on the same day. These efforts put the company on track to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 98% next year.

It took less than 20 years for Ørsted to go from completely dependent on coal to a global leader in offshore wind power. This transition is a testament to the coordination between the energy company and the Danish government, who collaborated to create incentives, build demonstration projects, and rethink permitting. It’s also a testament to what can be achieved when major emitters truly commit to becoming sustainable.