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Ambitious screening supports long-term planning of Danish offshore wind energy
Over a three-year period, a team of Denmark’s leading environmental experts has carried out an extensive mapping of Danish marine areas to strengthen the knowledge base for future planning of offshore wind energy. The newly published “Screening of Sites for Offshore Wind in Denmark” report provides valuable insights that will support and inform decisions on the siting of new offshore wind farms in Denmark.
January 29, 2026
Denmark’s maritime area – 2.5 times larger than its land area – constitutes a remarkable national resource. Danish marine areas serve a wide range of purposes, from nature and environmental protection to energy build-out, fisheries, raw materials extraction and shipping.
Many of these interests overlap geographically and can coexist to varying degrees, while others directly compete for the same marine areas. This creates complex planning challenges and underscores the need for strategic, balanced and holistic management of Denmark’s marine areas as part of the country’s future offshore wind energy build-out.
A solid data basis for wind energy planning
To ensure that future planning for the expansion of offshore wind energy is based on the strongest possible foundation, the Danish Energy Agency has commissioned a screening of the entire Danish maritime area. The purpose of this screening is to establish a solid data basis that can contribute to smart, forward-looking planning of large-scale offshore wind energy in Danish marine areas, including identifying areas where the expansion of offshore wind energy is expected to cause the fewest environmental and stakeholder conflicts.
NIRAS has been responsible for overall project management and coordination across the involved partners – Aarhus University (DCE) and DTU Wind (Technical University of Denmark). In addition to project coordination, NIRAS has also prepared three technical reports and delivered the overarching project documentation.
In parallel with the project, GEUS has conducted a geological mapping of the Danish maritime area, with selected results included in the screening project. DTU Aqua has also contributed to the screening by mapping the importance of Danish marine areas for national fisheries.
Multiple perspectives ensure a comprehensive overview
The newly published screening, now available online (in Danish), comprises four key components:
- Sensitivity mapping of a range of biological topics relevant to offshore wind energy development.
- Integrated screening of the Danish maritime area, combining sensitivity mapping, geological mapping, and an analysis of marine spatial interests.
- Assessment of potential cumulative effects from large-scale offshore wind expansion in Denmark and neighbouring countries.
- Assessment of barriers and opportunities for coexistence between offshore wind energy and other marine interests.
The screening is based on an extensive body of scientific reports, which are available in the digital report (in Danish).
An interdisciplinary group of public authorities responsible for activities at sea has followed the project, and a group consisting of selected stakeholder organisations has also been involved to ensure representation of diverse spatial interests.
For the client, the Danish Energy Agency, the goal of screening the entire Danish maritime area has been to help meet the anticipated demand for offshore wind expansion in the coming years, and to help identify the cumulative environmental effects that may result from this development.
“The last few years have been challenging times for offshore wind energy – both in Denmark and in other countries – but it is encouraging that the waiting time has been used to gain a better understanding of where future offshore wind farms in Denmark can best be planned.”
Louise Rønde Mønster, Expertise Director, NIRAS
Using the waiting time to build knowledge
For NIRAS, which has supported both Danish authorities and the energy industry for many years in various aspects of offshore wind development, the publication of this report marks an important milestone in a large and exciting project:
“The last few years have been challenging times for offshore wind energy – both in Denmark and in other countries – but it is encouraging that the waiting time has been used to gain a better understanding of where future offshore wind farms in Denmark can be planned,” explains Expertise Director Louise Rønde Mønster, who has led the project at NIRAS.
“With the screening report, decisions on offshore wind development can now be made on a stronger knowledge base than before. The screening focuses on Danish marine areas, but the approach can also be applied internationally.”
As a new initiative, NIRAS has prepared a digital report that is available on the Danish Energy Agency’s website. Here, readers can access the consolidated results from the many scientific reports produced as part of the project and navigate interactive maps summarising the results from the screening. A key benefit of this digital report is that the screening can be continuously updated as new knowledge becomes available. This means the screening has the potential to become a key tool in the Danish Energy Agency’s ongoing process of long-term planning of Danish offshore wind energy.
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