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Gifts to the Earth
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THE GIFT TO THE EARTH

Recent assessments of future energy consumption show that even short term objectives for cuts in CO2 emissions will be hard to reach for many industrialized countries. This is also the case for Denmark. Consequently, there is an urgent need for an enhanced effort. In this context, utilizing offshore turbines can contribute significantly to the fulfillment of an ambitious CO2 reduction commitment.

Denmark's Gift to the Earth is a national agreement on the initiation of a plan to build 750 MW offshore wind turbines before 2005. This will be on top of the existing goal of 1,500 MW (mostly land based) wind turbines mentioned above.

The decision will have far reaching implications as it will be the beginning of a fundamental shift in the energy supply of a country where fossil fuels have so far been the basis for electricity production.

The gift will show that:

  • Denmark is committed to contribute to solving the global Climate Change problem;
  • It is possible to include a large share of wind-power generated electricity in the electricity system.
The gift will be given by the Minister for the Environment and Energy, H.E. Svend Auken who will be:
1) announcing the initiation of the first phase of 750 MW to be realized before 2005, and
2) reiterating the long-term goal of 4,000 MW offshore turbines in 2030.

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