Port of Esbjerg Handles 1.3GW of Offshore Wind in 2017

A capacity of 1,300MW of offshore wind in wind turbine components was shipped via Port of Esbjerg in 2017 – 200MW more than in the previous year – according to the port’s annual results, which show a 2.2% increase in turnover at EUR 31.61 million and a net profit of EUR 10.83 million.

The 1,100MW of offshore wind turbine components shipped in 2016 marked more than double the amount handled in 2015.

Stable cargo turnover, a high level of activity and progress in shipping out wind turbine components are some of the factors that made 2017 a record year, the port writes.

Over the past several years, and especially in 2017, the Port of Esbjerg invested massively in its infrastructure and it states that it is now the leading North Sea offshore wind port, the base for the Danish offshore industry and an international hub for multimodal transport with six scheduled RoRo routes.

“The Port of Esbjerg has played a pivotal role in recent decades in the development of the offshore wind sector Europe-wide, and especially as regards German projects in the North Sea. For the German wind farms, the Port of Esbjerg is crucial as a hub for shipping out both turbines and equipment. The shipping operations out of the Port of Esbjerg to the largescale wind farms create value throughout Europe,” the Port of Esbjerg quoted German Ambassador to Denmark, Andreas Meitzner, as saying.

An investment of EUR 32.11 million was poured in the completion of the East Port expansion in 2017, and a total of EUR 228 million were invested in new solutions and infrastructure since 2004. In 2017, the return on average invested capital (ROAIC) was 8.4%.

The port’s chairman, Flemming N. Enevoldsen said: “Our financial muscle must be such that we are continuously able to make the investments required to meet our customers’ needs and develop the Port of Esbjerg. Therefore, we must continue to keep costs down and ensure a sound return on our investments. The need for investment is unlikely to decrease in the future, given the market outlook and the high pace at which our environment has changed in the past.”

The port added that it had just started an environmental impact assessment (EIA) of a future port expansion of up to 1.0 million m² so that it is ready to expand as demand for new areas arises. The EIA process is planned to be completed at the end of 2019, after which any expansion can be planned and implemented.