Energy group Orsted closes its last coal-fired power plant – News on natural gas and LNG

Energy group Orsted closes its last coal-fired power plant

COPENHAGEN, August 29 (Reuters) – The Danish energy company Orsted will shut down its last coal-fired power plants this week, the company announced on Thursday. This is a milestone on the way to fossil-free energy production.

Formerly known as DONG Energy, the company is a pioneer in offshore wind energy and has repositioned itself as a “renewable energy major” after selling its oil and gas business in 2017.

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Orsted announced on Saturday that it would close its coal-fired power plant in Esbjerg and another coal unit at its Studstrup power plant, the latest major step towards achieving its goal of 99 percent green energy in electricity generation by 2025.

“With the closure of the cogeneration plant, we are well on our way to becoming the first major energy company to completely switch its energy production from fossil fuels to renewable energy,” said Ole Thomsen, head of bioenergy at Orsted, in a statement.

The company was once one of Europe's most coal-dependent energy companies, and 85 percent of its heat and electricity production was based on fossil fuels in 2008.

Orsted had originally planned to completely stop burning coal by March 2023. However, the state-owned company was ordered by the Danish government to maintain operations at the Esbjerg power plant and other facilities during the energy crisis following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The official order expires on Saturday.

(Reporting by Stine Jacobsen; Editing by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Jan Harvey)