Hjørring Municipality wants to build an alternative to the national power grid, running cables directly from wind and solar farms to local businesses and housing areas.
The municipality’s technical and environmental committee has decided to look into its own electricity supply, DR reports. The area north of the Limfjord is one of the parts of Denmark where the grid cannot deliver the capacity that local companies ask for.
Several businesses in the municipality have postponed investments and planned conversions to green energy for that reason. The large fishing and ferry port in Hirtshals is among the users needing more power than the grid can supply, according to DR.
Committee chair Søren Homann, of the Conservative People’s Party, told DR that the municipality cannot afford to wait. In his assessment, waiting for a large-scale solution from Energinet, which owns the transmission grid, could take 10 to 15 years before the effects are felt locally.
Homann described a model in which cables run directly from wind farms and solar plants to companies and residential areas. He noted that the municipality cannot do this alone, and that close cooperation with energy companies and electricity customers is required.
Reaction in parliament
The Moderates’ energy spokesperson, Lars Aagaard, called the idea of examining local supply in Hjørring a reasonable one. Per DR, he welcomes new thinking about how the electricity grid is expanded and used in the years ahead.
Aagaard said he understands that the long waiting times create impatience. He is open to bringing a concrete proposal from Hjørring Municipality to Christiansborg, and described the situation as a major challenge, with some parts of Denmark under particular pressure.
Energinet has previously stated that large projects seeking a grid connection risk waiting up to ten years for approval, as reported by DR. There is broad agreement in the Folketing that the grid must be expanded and strengthened.
DR has been in contact with Energinet, but the company had not yet commented on the Hjørring proposal at the time of publication. The municipality’s plan remains at the investigation stage.
Hjørring Municipality is located in the North Jutland region, covering Hirtshals, Hjørring town and surrounding areas. The committee’s stated aim is to ensure that both residents and companies can draw power when they need it.
