Getting to zero

This is how we create a world that runs on renewable energy
Aug 11, 2020 10:00 AM ET

Ørsted

In Ørsted, we have a vision of creating a world that runs exclusively on green energy. Fossil fuels still make up more than 80% of global energy consumption. To mitigate climate change and deliver sustainable energy, we need to drastically accelerate the transformation of our energy systems from black to green energy. Over the past decade, we have transformed from a black to a green energy company by investing DKK 193 billion in renewable energy and increasing our share of green energy in our energy production to 86% by the end of 2019.

Ocean wind, onshore wind and solar energy are the cornerstones of the global renewable energy conversion. By replacing fossil fuels in the energy mix, they help to displace fossil fuel emissions. All three technologies are at the heart of the green solutions we offer countries as part of their renewable energy transformation.

Ørsted's offshore wind farms supply more than 15 million people with green power. Thanks to the green energy we supply, we displace the CO 2 emissions that would have resulted from energy production based on fossil fuels such as coal or gas. In 2019, our green energy solutions helped displace 11.3 million tonnes of CO2 emissions - the equivalent of removing over 5.7 million cars from the roads in a year.

Goals in Ørsted's CO2 reduction program

2023

  • Complete phase-out of coal. Over the past ten years, Ørsted has closed three coal-fired power plants in Denmark. Power plants with a central role in the production of heat for Danish households and industry have been converted from coal to certified sustainable biomass. The last coal-fired power plant will be closed in 2023.

2025 

  • CO2 neutral operation and energy production.
  • By phasing out fossil fuels and installing 20 GW of renewable energy, CO2 emissions will be reduced by at least 98% by 2025 compared to 2006.
  • CO2 emissions must be reduced further and more than 98% by replacing the entire company's fleet of electric vehicles in accordance with the EV100 requirements and finding further reduction opportunities in energy production and operation.
  • Compensate possible residual emissions through verified and measurable CO2 offsetting projects.

 2030

  • Build more than 30 GW of green energy across technologies - enough to power more than 55 million people.

2032

  • Reduce emissions from the supply chain and energy trade by 50% compared to 2018 to ensure that emissions across Ørsted's overall climate footprint are reduced in line with the 1.5 ° C target.

2040

  • Achieve a CO2-neutral overall climate imprint ten years faster than required to reach the 1.5 ° C target by removing the remaining emission from the supply chain and energy trade.

Read the press release