Bornholm Energy Island secures 52% of total funding, with two additional offshore wind projects financed. Hydrogen, ammonia, and CO₂ networks receive 40% of the grants
The EU injects €1.25 billion into cross-border energy infrastructure
A major €1.25 billion investment to strengthen cross-border energy infrastructure—with half of the funds going to just one of the 41 selected projects: Bornholm Energy Island, a massive 3 GW offshore wind hub in the Baltic Sea under Danish jurisdiction.
The European Union allocated these funds through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), a program supporting strategic infrastructure projects that enhance connectivity in the energy, digital, and transport sectors. In the energy domain, CEF fosters decarbonization, market integration, and security of supply by financing cross-border energy infrastructure. This funding round marked a milestone as the first to support offshore electricity grids, hydrogen projects, and CO₂ networks.
Offshore wind at the core of cross-border energy infrastructure
Beyond the Baltic’s energy island—which alone secured 52% of the total subsidies—the EU has financed two additional offshore wind projects. These include:
- Triton Link, a hybrid offshore interconnection between Denmark and Belgium
- A new offshore wind connection in southern Brittany, France
“These are key projects to provide affordable electricity for European businesses and households,” said Vasiliki Klonari, Director of Energy System Integration at WindEurope. “So far, Europe has only one hybrid offshore wind farm. We need many more to build an integrated offshore grid. It’s great news that the European Commission is enabling these promising projects.”
Other CEF-funded projects
Overall, hydrogen, ammonia, and CO₂-related cross-border projects received approximately 40% of the allocated funds in this round. In contrast, only 4% was assigned to smart grid projects, leaving them with minimal support.
“The power grid infrastructure and renewables-based electrification are crucial,” Klonari emphasized. “We need technological neutrality, but only among proven and climate-neutral technologies. Otherwise, the energy transition will be neither cost-effective nor efficient, and Europe will remain dependent on imported fossil fuels, undermining its energy security.”
