In Denmark, the socio-economic benefits of wind primarily come from onshore wind, as it still covers most of Denmark’s wind capacity. This underlines onshore wind’s continued importance. Meanwhile, the effect of offshore wind is growing. In 2010, offshore wind activities made up 20 percent of Danish wind companies’ turnover. In 2020, that number had increased to 40 percent.

New gigawatts and job creation

In 2020, the socio-economic effect of offshore wind installations was documented for the first time. The analysis showed that 1 GW of offshore wind energy generates employment equal to 14,600 man-years for Danish suppliers from direct, indirect, and derived job effects. With the Danish Government’s ambitions to build an additional 2-3 GW offshore wind capacity, a significant number of obs stand to be created in the process.

Given Denmark’s large coastline, the offshore wind industry has a strong effect in the country. Especially, harbours such as Grenå by the Kattegat Sea, Hvide Sande by the North Sea, and Rønne in the Baltic Sea exemplify how wind energy contributes significantly to the local economy with opportunities for growth and development. With Denmark’s expansion plans for offshore wind, all parts of the country stand to benefit from the socio-economic effects.

With an estimated 40 percent market share, Danish companies also have a strong presence on the European offshore wind market. European offshore wind expansions significantly impact job creation in Denmark. In fact, 300 GW of wind energy in the North Sea pipeline makes for an enormous potential for the Danish wind industry. Recent projections from the Danish think tank, The Economic Council of the Labour Movement, show that a full national offshore build-out, combined with exports to projects in the North Sea, has the potential to create more than 30,000 jobs on average each year towards 2050. Furthermore, wherever wind farms are installed, they typically generate many local jobs in installation, operation and maintenance.

Wind energy as a key export industry

Energy technologies have become key elements in Danish exports, making up almost 10 percent of Denmark’s total export of goods in 2023. Wind energy accounts for most of the exports, amounting to 43.7 billion DKK (5.86 billion EUR). This is almost half of the total export of energy technologies from Denmark, totalling 109.6 billion DKK (14.7 billion EUR). This is a result from both an increase in Danish manufacturing of energy technologies, as well as a general global increase in demand for wind energy. A strong focus on export of energy technologies and services has opened for unique opportunities for both Danish and international partners.