New Falster transformer station strengthens strained power grid

A new transformer station at Nørre Alslev on Falster is intended to help address a challenge in Denmark’s green transition, DR reports. The station was inaugurated as part of an expansion of the Danish electricity grid.

Hundreds of new electric cars are arriving in Danish driveways every day and need to be charged. At the same time, the electricity grid is under pressure as more power is produced from wind turbines and solar panels.

To handle the increased demand, larger electricity cables and new transformer stations are needed to manage and distribute power from renewable sources.

Network companies Cerius and Radius are currently building 15 new transformer stations in eastern Denmark. They will distribute green electricity to detached houses, apartments and smaller businesses.

Simon Hansen, the Social Democrat mayor of Guldborgsund Municipality, said the new station would improve the transport of electricity to local residents and businesses and make it easier to attract companies that need green energy.

Frederik Dalgård, planning manager at Cerius and Radius, said the stations were necessary for renewable electricity to keep pace with rising consumption.

“Without the new transformer stations, we would face a problem and many disappointed customers because they would not be able to connect to the electricity grid or draw the amount of power they want,” he said.

Only a small part of the solution

Pressure on the Danish electricity grid means that demand is greater than the available capacity.

The new station should give smaller businesses and residents on Falster confidence that there will be enough electricity for them, according to DR climate analyst Filip Knaack Kirkegaard. But one transformer station will not solve the nationwide problem.

The backbone of the electricity grid is generally being expanded too slowly, affecting larger commercial projects such as data centres and green production facilities.

Those projects must wait for the backbone of the grid to be expanded. The work is handled by Energinet, the state electricity grid company, while politicians in the Danish parliament are discussing an emergency plan, Kirkegaard said.