At just 156 years old, the Port of Esbjerg is relatively new by Danish or European standards, where many ports have been active for hundreds or thousands of years. Yet during its relatively short life, the port on Denmark's western coast has undergone a number of reincarnations to serve different industries—from livestock in the 1800s, to fishing in the 1920s and offshore oil and gas in the 1960s and 1970s. Now, as Europe faces new challenges, from decarbonisation to geopolitical threats, Esbjerg is reinventing itself again.
“We started to see the change coming a few years ago,” says Dennis Pedersen, the port’s director. “Offshore wind farms in the North Sea are central to Europe’s energy transition, but we need to make significant infrastructure investments to make it happen.”
“Then in 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine, we realised that we needed to not only worry about decarbonisation but also Europe’s security.”
Esbjerg already plays an important role in the offshore wind industry, where Danish companies such as Vestas are industry leaders. In fact, the port, which is part of the Trans-European Transport Network with strong rail and road connections, has already been a key facility for some 59 offshore wind projects in the North Sea.
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Ready to get bigger...
But offshore wind turbines are getting bigger and bigger. And then bigger still.
Roundabouts on roads leading to the port have already been adapted to allow for extra-long transport vehicles to drive straight through them. The blades of new turbines in the famously windy region, however, now measure more than 100 meters in length, which means that new turbines have a diameter and height about twice as large as their predecessors. That makes them taller than the ‘Gherkin’ tower in London.
Transporting and assembling such massive structures requires special facilities and lots of space. To cater for this, the Port of Esbjerg is investing in a new 57-hectare terminal, an area greater than 106 football fields.
...and deeper
To better serve Europe’s security and defence needs, the port is also deepening its navigation channel.
NATO vessels have used the port in the past to bring in armoured vehicles such as M1 Abrams tanks and M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles from the US. In June this year, the port handled more than 700 vehicles from the US Army’s 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, and more than 300 items for the US Army National Guard’s 81st Stryker Brigade in 2021.
But the port’s navigation channel is too shallow to cater for the transport vessels to arrive fully loaded or during low tides.
Investment with a dual use
For the Port of Esbjerg, the dual focus has several benefits.
“The offshore wind power boom will last for several decades,” says Pedersen. “Our investment plan will not only help us to consolidate our position in the sector and aid Europe’s energy transition. It will also prepare us for what happens afterwards by opening up new routes to the United States.”
By strengthening its role as a NATO transport hub, the port gains access to significant funding from the European Union and its investment arm, the European Investment Bank. These include grants from the Connecting Europe Facility, the Danish state, and a €115 million loan from the Bank, which has set aside €8 billion to support the EU’s Strategic European Security Initiative.
Investment for security and defence
EU governments want the European Investment Bank to increase its support for Europe’s security and defence. As a result, the Bank has made support for the sector a priority, adapting its lending criteria and internal processes, as well as setting aside more funds. In 2024 the Bank launched a one-stop-shop for security and defence projects to make it easier for companies to access its funding and advisory services.
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“This is a clear dual-use case,” says Txema Urrutia Aldama, a transport sector specialist at the European Investment Bank. “In fact, it’s probably the first large dual-use infrastructure project we’ve supported.”
Given the sensitive ecological conditions around Esbjerg, which is near an internationally protected wetland, minimising the impact of the channel-deepening works was a key concern of the port and the Bank. Much of the dredged material from the seabed will be reused in the port’s expansion.
