Denmark is well underway with a green transition of its energy production, focusing mostly on wind energy, but with an increasing share of solar energy and other sustainable green technologies.
Denmark has considerable sources of oil and natural gas in the North Sea, but is only ranked as number 57 in the world among net exporters of crude oil, as of 2023. It is a significant drop in recent years, as the country ranked as number 32 in 2008. Denmark expects to be self-sufficient with oil until 2050.Unforeseen billions from North Sea Maritime, 4 December 2011. Accessed: 8 December 2011. However, gas resources are expected to decline, and production may decline below consumption in 2020, making imports necessary.Andersen, Christian Meiniche. Gas supply 2011-2013 page 17 Energinet.dk. Accessed: 8 December 2011. Denmark imports around 12% of its energy (this statistic includes all forms of energy, not just electricity), but is also an exporter.
Denmark has drastically decreased production of electricity from coal. In 2019, coal supplied less than 11% of electricity and production is scheduled to end by 2028.
In February 2011, the Danish government announced the "Energy Strategy 2050" with the aim to be fully independent of fossil fuels by 2050, and a new government repeated the goal in 2015, despite public scepticism.Danmark er længere med den grønne omstilling end danskerne ved Danish Energy Agency, 1 October 2015. Accessed: 24 January 2016. The European Renewables Directive set a mandatory target at 20% share of energy from renewable sources by 2020 (EU combined).EU law - as measured in gross final consumption of energy In 2012, the Danish government adopted a plan to increase the share of electricity production from wind to 50% by 2020,Danish Wind Industry Association, Wind energy Denmark , n.d.The Guardian: "Denmark aims to get 50% of all electricity from wind power", 26 March 2012 and to 84% in 2035;Lindboe, page 3 this was later changed to a broader 100% renewable electricity by 2030 target.
Denmark's electrical grid is connected by transmission lines to other European countries,Gellert, Bjarne Christian. Electricity interconnections Energinet.dk, 22 August 2011. Accessed: 6 December 2011. and had (according to the World Economic Forum) the best energy security in the EU in 2013,"Danish security of supply is number one in the EU " Energinet.dk, 11 December 2013. Accessed: 26 December 2013. although it soon fell to a number three by 2014."Global Rankings", Accessed: 30 April 2015. The Nordic countries are longtime top performers in Europe, and globally, when it comes to the energy transition index (ETI): security, sustainability, and equity. Denmark competes continuously with Sweden, Finland, and Norway in the top four, and has generally fallen behind in recent years, as of 2025.
History In 1972, 92% of Denmark's energy consumption came from imported oil. The 1973 oil crisis forced Denmark to rethink its energy policy; in 1978 coal contributed 18%, and the Tvind wind turbine was built, along with the creation of a wind turbine industry. The 1979 energy crisis pushed further change, and in 1984 the North Sea natural gas projects began. The North Sea production of oil and gas made Denmark self-sufficient in 1997, peaking in 2005, and decreased below self-sufficiency by 2013. In 2015 Denmark produced 89% of its energy consumption of 720-756 PJ.
The year 2014 was the warmest on record in Denmark, with the lowest number of degree days in history. A normal year has 2,906 while 2014 saw only 2,100 degree days.Bernth, Martin. "" Ingeniøren, 5 January 2015. Accessed: 5 January 2015. Since 2000, Denmark has increased Gross National Product and decreased energy consumption.Rasmus Tengvad. Det danske energiforbrug på rekordlavt niveau Dansk Energi, 30 January 2015
Energy statistics
+2020 energy statistics+Production capacities for electricity(billion kWh)TypeAmountWind power88.93Biomass36.34Fossil fuel22.89Solar6.50Hydro0.02Total154.68 +Electricity(billion kWh)CategoryAmountConsumption33.08Production28.46Import18.89Export12.69 +Natural Gas(billion m3)Consumption2.19Production1.32Import2.65Export1.70 +Crude Oil(barrels per day)Consumption165,400Production69,000Import95,200Export56,700
CO2 emissions:27.36 million tons
+Gross energy consumption in Denmark (PJ), 1980–2018Source except where noted: Unit: petajoules (PJ)198019902000200520102012201320142015201620172018Total814819839850814782763755760770772781Oil546355376352312289278276284280286288Natural gas082192192176149138127133131125121Coal2413271751661471461431371081169298Waste, non-renewable5814171617171818181818Renewable energy224881123163180186196219225252257
Energy plan
The 2017 energy plan for the country set a target of achieving at least 50% renewables by 2030. This includes 11.5 GW of onshore and 13 GW of offshore wind power by 2030. This was modified in 2019 to target reducing greenhouse gasses in 2030 by 70%, compared to 1990. The target for 2050 is 100% renewable energy.
Over the past decade, Denmark's energy sector has seen significant changes, characterized by a decrease in the total energy supply (TES) and shifts in the energy mix. The TES declined from 812 Petajoules (PJ) in 2010 to 671 PJ in 2019, then slightly increased to 678 PJ by 2022. During the same period, the reliance on fossil fuels significantly reduced, falling from 75% of the energy mix in 2011 to 53% in 2022, well below the International Energy Agency (IEA) average of 79%. Notably, the share of oil in the TES has consistently remained at 36%.
The transition towards more sustainable energy sources in Denmark has been driven by the expanded use of wind power and the adoption of biogas and biomass. As a consequence, the shares of coal and natural gas in the energy mix have decreased from 18% and 21% in 2011 to 6.9% and 9.3% in 2022, respectively. In parallel, the contribution of bioenergy and waste to the energy mix has increased from 20% to 34%, while the share of variable renewables, primarily wind energy with a supplementary role of solar photovoltaics (PV), has grown from 5% to 9%.
Energy sources Fossil fuels Coal
Denmark has drastically reduced the role of coal in both electricity generation and district heating. Less than 11% of the electricity produced in the country came from coal (2019)Monthly OECD Electricity Statistics and only about 12% of the energy used for district heating came from coal and oil combined (2017).
This is a radical change, considering that coal provided 48.0% of the electricity and 22.0% of the heat in district heating in Denmark in 2008; and in total provided 21.6% of total energy consumption (187 PJ out of 864 PJ). The coal is mainly imported from outside Europe. Consumption of coal was more than halved over the 10 years between 2004 and 2014.Energy statistics, 2014 page 12ENERGISTATISTIK 2015, page 3. Quote: "2015 var præget af stor nettoelimport, hvilket hovedsageligt betød et kraftigt fald i forbruget af kul på 35,8%" Coal constituted 41% of the mass fuels (not wind and sun) in 2015, and is expected to decrease to 14% in 2025, mostly replaced by biofuels.
The two remaining coal power stations, which between them can generate 730 MW of power, were scheduled to cease in March 2023, however in late 2022, due to the energy crisis, they were given a reprieve until June 2024.
Oil Production of crude oil fell from 523 PJ in 2010 to 470 PJ in 2011. As of May 2014, Denmark produced an average of 172 kbpd.Danish Production of Oil, Gas and Water for May 2014 Danish Energy Agency, May 2014. Accessed: 26 June 2014. Danish oil companies donate DKK 1 billion over 10 years to Technical University of Denmark to increase production. Danish oil reserves are expected to run out around 2047. See List of oil and gas fields of the North Sea for a full list of oil and gas fields in the Danish sector of the North Sea and links to individual fields.
Consumption fell from 315 to 306 PJ during 2011.Main energy statistics 2011 Danish Ministry of Climate and Energy, 20 March 2012. Accessed: 20 March 2012. Official statistics estimate 231,000 residences heated by oil in 2014 (down from 328,000 in 2013), but only 87,000 actually purchased oil during 2014.Wittrup, Sanne. "Halvdelen af landets oliefyr er forsvundet " Ingeniøren, 9 April 2015. Accessed: 9 April 2015.
In 2022, oil represented 37% of Denmark's Total Energy Supply (TES), in line with the International Energy Agency (IEA) average of 35%. Its stable share over the past decade saw a slight decrease in Total Final Energy Consumption (TFEC) from 45% in 2011 to 38% in 2021, primarily due to shifts in the transport sector. The share of oil in domestic energy production also decreased from 55% in 2012 to 34% in 2022, with its role in electricity generation remaining minimal at less than 0.9%. The COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical shifts, especially Russia's invasion of Ukraine, significantly impacted Denmark's oil demand. Previously, Denmark heavily relied on Russian oil imports. In response to the invasion, EU sanctions on Russian oil imports were implemented, effective from 5 December 2022 for crude oil and from 5 February 2023 for oil products. Denmark stopped importing Russian crude oil in spring 2022 and subsequently diversified its oil trade.
Natural gas The production of natural gas fell from 307 PJ in 2010 to 265 PJ in 2011. Consumption fell from 187 to 157 PJ. See List of oil and gas fields of the North Sea for a full list of oil and gas fields in the Danish sector of the North Sea and links to individual fields.
emissions from energy production fell from 49.4 to 44.3 million tons, from 2010 to 2011, a decline of 10%.Dal, Peter. Large drop in energy and Danish Ministry of Climate and Energy, 20 March 2012. Accessed: 20 March 2012. Quote: ""
Natural gas was responsible for 6% of the country's electricity production (2019); in district heating, it had a 20% share of the energy mix (2017).
In Denmark, natural gas plays a minor role in the energy system, with strategies aimed at reducing its use and phasing it out entirely. The country plans to end individual gas heating by 2035 and switch to 100% green renewable gases by 2030. The past two decades have seen a significant decrease in natural gas production, from 30% of the country's energy production in 2005 to 13% in 2022. This decline is observed across the board: in total energy supply (dropping from 23% to 9%), in heat generation (from 31% to 7%), and in electricity generation (from 24% to 3%). Despite these reductions, natural gas's proportion of Total Final Energy Consumption (TFEC) has maintained a steady rate of 12% in 2021.
Renewable energy Denmark is fourth among International Energy Agency (IEA) member countries in the share of renewables in total final energy consumption (TFEC), with 40% of its TFEC from renewable sources in 2021, surpassing the IEA average of 14%. Renewable energy in TFEC has doubled from 100 Petajoules (PJ) in 2005 to 221 PJ in 2021, primarily due to its increased role in electricity generation. Bioenergy leads the renewable energy mix, contributing 18% to TFEC, followed by wind at 10%, solid biomass at 8%, liquid biofuels at 2%, and solar at 1%. +Years in which the last three renewable power levels were achievedAchievementYear 30% 2014 35% 2017 40% 2020 Renewable energy includes biomass, wind, solar, and geothermal energy sources.
Biomass
The role of biomass grew as Denmark was phasing out fossil fuels, particularly coal. 20% of electricity produced in Denmark came from biomass (2019), more than from coal and natural gas combined.
In district heating, use of biomass and biodegradable waste was one of multiple factors which helped bring down the share of fossil fuels and (non-biodegradable) waste to under 40% of the energy mix.