Belgium, Denmark and Germany have signed a formal political Memorandum of Agreement to set up a power interconnection between the countries, including the Danish energy island in the North Sea. Meanwhile, the Danish energy transmission system operator (TSO) Energinet has signed two new cooperation agreements: one with its Belgian counterpart Elia to accelerate the development of a power interconnector between Belgium and the Danish energy island in the North Sea, and one with the German TSO 50Hertz to develop an interconnection between the Danish energy island Bornholm in the Baltic Sea and Germany. The three TSOs will now cooperate on starting feasibility studies, paving the way for final investment decisions (FIDs).
Denmark and Germany are already connected through the Kriegers Flak - Combined Grid Solution, which connects Danish and German offshore wind parks in the Baltic Sea and which was commissioned in 2020. Denmark announced plans to build two 2 GW energy islands in its climate plan in May 2020. An energy island serves as a hub for electricity generation for the surrounding plants, by collecting and distributing the electricity between countries connected using a common electricity grid. The Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy and Public Utilities has already selected a location for a 2 GW island 20 km to the south and south-west of Bornholm. Furthermore, a 3 GW island is planned in the North Sea off the western coast of Jutland; in the long term, its capacity will be raised to 10 GW. Detailed studies of the seabed and on the environmental impact of the project are expected to be completed in 2024. In August 2021, Energinet launched offshore environmental studies for its "energy islands" projects in the North Sea and at the Bornholm island in the Baltic Sea. The construction of the energy islands will include wind parks, power cables and electrical installations, and is subject to the Danish Environmental Assessment Act.