New European Economy 97 PROFILE • 4 of the 5 GW wind power in the North Sea have been installed from Esbjerg • 14 %: The expected growth within offshore wind turbine in 8 years • In 2020, 5 times more offshore wind capacity installed “Having our headquarters elsewhere would not have resulted in 1,000 employees” Rambøll Oil & Gas would not have reached 1,000 employees if the company had not settled down close to the offshore sector in Esbjerg. “It has been crucial to the development of the company that our headquarter is located in Esbjerg. The clients are present in Esbjerg because the city is the closest they can get to the oil and gas installations in the North Sea. Furthermore, the port, traffic by sea and heli- copter transport to the fields are also important factors,” John Sørensen, CEO, says. When Maersk Oil and Gas moved to Esbjerg in 1991, the Rambøll oil and gas division followed shortly. “Since then, an offshore cluster and knowledge environment have been built in Esbjerg and that is very important largest heavy-duty transports allowed on public roads. The wind industry is one of the most important industries in Denmark generating thousands of jobs and the port of Esbjerg is an important part of this industry and a vital piece of infrastructure assisting both global and national companies developing their business. Today, the port of Esbjerg is the largest port in Denmark with an area of 4,000,000 m2. With an area of 650,000 m2, the new east port is the largest port area in Denmark and can handle offshore wind turbines and foun- dations. Once fully developed, the east port will cover an area of 1,000,000 m2 and more than 2 km of heavy-duty quayside. Facts: • Esbjerg is Denmark’s fifth largest city. • In Esbjerg, 250 companies employ more than 13,500 people within the energy sector. • 75% of Danish wind turbine export pass through the port of Esbjerg. • Esbjerg is the offshore capital of Denmark and one of the leading offshore cities in the world. • 5,5 billion €: Investments in the Danish offshore oil and gas sector during the next 5 years Offshore expertise Though the oil and gas activities in the North Sea have existed since the 1970’s, this market still has potential. The trade organisation, Oil Gas Denmark, estimates that there are still unexplored oil and gas resources worth 25 bio€ in the North Sea. The status of the port of Esbjerg as leading harbour for handling offshore wind turbines has been indefeasible since the estab- lishment of Horns Rev I and II. Horns Rev III is a new 400MW wind farm just outside the shores of Esbjerg. In 2017, installation will begin and this will generate further activities for Esbjerg companies. It is expected that the installed offshore wind capacity in 2020 will be five times the present level. Companies like Maersk Oil & Gas, Hess, Rambøll Oil & Gas, DONG Energy, Siemens, Vestas and Vattenfall are leading companies within the offshore activities. However, the company structure of Esbjerg is many small companies. Altogether, the city counts 250 energy companies – of which 177 are in the offshore industry alone. Intelligent energy Distributing and using energy intelligently is the challenge of the future. In Esbjerg, one of the leading electricity and telecommuni- cation distributors in the country takes up this challenge and based on EU’s strongest fibre network, SE aims to contribute to trans- forming the society towards sustainability. Esbjerg among the 20 most important energy cities of the world With oil, gas, wind, intelligent energy and bioenergy gathered at one place, the status of Esbjerg as Denmark’s EnergyMetropolis is confirmed. Consequently, Esbjerg was admitted in the World Energy Cities Partnership (WECP) gathering the 20 most important energy cities in the world. Esbjerg is the only Danish member city. Port of Esbjerg – the energy port Located in the south-westerly corner of Denmark, facing the North Sea, the UK and the western part of Europe, the port of Esbjerg is an excellent choice if you want to connect Danish trade with Europe. With a fully developed hinterland infrastructure including road and rail, the port can accommodate the New European Economy 96 PROFILE ^ DENMARK’S ENERGY METROPOLIS ESBJERG eing experts in handling the oil, gas and wind activities in the North Sea, Esbjerg companies have for many years contributed to its position as the offshore capital of Denmark and the newly achieved membership of World Energy Cities Partnership marks Esbjerg as one of the leading offshore cities in the world. B Birgit Bech Jensen ” The strong electricity and fibre based infrastructure that we rolled out in the region and Esbjerg’s position as EnergyMetropolis arouse interest all over the world, and big companies look our way. This is a natural place for us to run our business” SE is one of the biggest energy and tele- communication providers in the country. Recently, the company built its brand new headquarters in Esbjerg in a spectacular plus energy house. Niels Duedahl CEO, SE and 2013 Leader of the Year in Denmark “THE WIND INDUSTRY IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT INDUSTRIES IN DENMARK GENERATING THOUSANDS OF JOBS ”