New data centres may have to reduce their electricity consumption at certain times if they are to secure capacity in the power grid.
Energinet has not yet completed its calculations, but is already warning that it could be difficult to give the projects full grid access. Applicants will receive answers later in November.
- We do not yet have all the results, but it looks difficult to provide full grid access to projects in categories 3 and 4, says Søren Dupont Kristensen, acting CEO of Energinet, in a press release.
The two categories include batteries and data centres. Energinet will therefore work with customers to explore options including flexible consumption and restricted grid access. This could mean companies having to accept reductions in electricity consumption when the grid is under pressure.
No time to waste
The announcement goes to the heart of a key challenge facing the data centre projects in Rødby and Nørre Alslev. In Nørre Alslev, GARBE Data Centers is planning a facility with an expected power demand of up to 350 MW.
Guldborgsund Mayor Simon Hansen has previously described the electricity supply as the project’s biggest challenge, but Energinet’s announcement does not determine what the local projects will actually be offered.
Business organisation Green Power Denmark says flexible agreements need to be part of the solution, but much more grid infrastructure must also be built. Otherwise, the crisis could last for several years.
The organisation’s Chief Technology Officer, Jørgen S. Christensen, is therefore calling for faster action.
- We need to build the power grid for the future, and the future is just around the corner. The connections that have already been planned need to be built faster. And Energinet must draw up a plan as quickly as possible for how sufficient transmission grid capacity can be provided across the entire country, he says.
He is also urging Energinet to present a plan for sufficient capacity nationwide as quickly as possible.
In the short term, the organisation points to agreements on restricted consumption and batteries placed strategically in the grid. These measures should help make better use of existing capacity while the grid is being expanded.
