The European Commission has provided funding of €645m from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) programme for the Bornholm Energy Island project.
The project is a joint initiative between transmission system operators Energinet and 50Hertz to connect 3GW of offshore wind energy to the European electricity grid in the 2030s.
The electricity generated will be routed via new grid connections to Germany (2GW) and the Danish mainland (1.2GW).
The project is the first of its kind to combine electricity interconnectors between Denmark and Germany with offshore wind power, the German Federal Network Agency said;
It drives the cross-border expansion of renewable energies, ensures the efficient integration of wind power into the grid and at the same time strengthens European energy security, it added:
Federal Economics and Climate Protection Minister Robert Habeck said: “The funding from the European Commission underlines that Bornholm Energy Island is a groundbreaking example of cross-border cooperation.
“Joint projects like this make a significant contribution to a climate-friendly, secure and affordable energy supply for Germany and the European Union.
“Against this background, I expressly welcome the European Commission’s decision.”
In order to further develop the project, the transmission system operators will continue to work closely together.
Germany and Denmark will implement the legal framework and regulatory requirements for this and other offshore cooperation projects at government level as quickly as possible.