Danish green cement project forced to rely on diesel generators due to power grid shortages

A Danish company aiming to produce climate-friendly cement has been forced to turn to diesel generators for electricity after being unable to secure sufficient power from the national grid, DR reports.

Trinity Synergies in Fredericia plans to manufacture “green cement” with a lower carbon footprint than traditional production methods. However, director Jesper Schmidt told DR that the company has been warned it may not receive the necessary grid capacity “in the near future.”

“Without electricity, we’re stuck,” Schmidt said. “It’s ironic that we want to be leaders in green transition and produce green cement, but now we’re forced into a temporary, dirty solution.”

The company’s fallback—diesel generators—contradicts its sustainability goals. Schmidt noted that such generators are more commonly seen in countries like India or Sri Lanka, not Denmark. “We had a long list of risks when we started, but power shortages weren’t on it,” he added.

Grid operator overwhelmed by “explosive” demand

Denmark’s grid operator, Energinet, reports that applications for new grid connections now total eight times the country’s peak daily consumption. In 2023 alone, 125 requests were filed, some requiring capacity equivalent to entire cities like Aalborg or Copenhagen.

“Demand has grown explosively,” said Kim Willerslev Jakobsen, Energinet’s director of system responsibility. The surge—driven partly by data centers and battery parks—has forced the operator to pause new connections for three months while assessing how to prioritize projects and streamline processing.

“We’re building as fast as we can,” Jakobsen said, acknowledging frustration among applicants. “But current demand far exceeds our existing grid capacity.”

Experts warn of climate and energy security risks

Marie Münster, a professor of energy systems at the Technical University of Denmark and member of the Climate Council, called the gridlock “highly problematic.”

“If businesses wanting to shift from fossil fuels can’t access green electricity, they’ll remain dependent on gas or oil,” she said. “That’s bad for both the climate and energy security.”

Münster compared the grid to a highway: expanding it takes time, and temporary fixes—like rerouting traffic—can only do so much. “If everyone tries to use it simultaneously, congestion is inevitable,” she said.