Energinet plans to invest DKK 15.8 billion in the grid between Central Jutland and Vendsyssel

Energinet, Denmark’s state-owned transmission system operator, announced on Monday, 2 November, that it wants to reinforce and expand the “motorways” of the electricity grid between Aarhus, Aalborg and Viborg. The “Nyt Elnet Midtjylland-Vendsyssel” project, valued at DKK 15.8 billion, has been approved by the company’s board, and the application has been sent to the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities, which has the final say on the investment.

The figures. According to Energinet, the project doubles the capacity of the 400 kV grid in the area and allows around 8 GW of local renewable generation to be integrated, compared with 1.4 GW today — 6.6 GW more, equivalent to the electricity consumption of 2.7 million Danish households. In the area from Randers and Viborg in the south up to the northern tip of Jutland, there are requests and needs for connecting around 4 GW of new consumption, while Denmark currently uses just over 7 GW in the peak hour of the year.

What will be built. The existing lines between the three cities date from the 1960s and 1980s. The plan includes new overhead lines, underground cables and several high-voltage substations, and some of the existing 400 kV connections will be renovated. The regional 150 kV grid will be restructured and placed underground, removing old overhead lines. In Vendsyssel a large new substation is needed, as the one at Nordjyllandsværket is no longer sufficient.

Context. “We need to build much more and build faster,” said acting CEO Søren Dupont Kristensen, explaining that the transmission grid is lagging behind the sharp rise in connection requests. According to the magazine Ingeniøren, Energinet currently has almost 200 construction projects with investments of more than DKK 100 billion.

What comes next. The first step is dialogue with the eight affected municipalities; Energinet aims to present a first proposal for routes and substation sites in the spring. The company expects to have all approvals in about four years, so that construction can begin in late 2030, with phased commissioning until 2037. A separate plan for expanding the grid in North Jutland, with new connections up towards Skagen, is due in early 2027.

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