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Green energy must be for everyone

Nukissiorfiit is well on its way to making Greenland self-sufficient in climate-neutral energy, and the company has even greater ambitions for the future

Greenland is not only known for its deep fjords, unique wildlife and magnificent mountain ranges, but even more so for the ice cap that covers more than 80% of the country’s territory. Through the continuing expansion of hydropower capacity, the melting of the ice cap can ensure self-sufficiency in clean energy – and eventually much more.

“Greenland is undergoing rapid economic development, driven by investments in new housing, schools, airports and businesses. For each expansion, more energy is needed, and we are increasingly better equipped to meet this challenge,” says Cicilie Senderovitz, Director of Energy at the national utility company, Nukissiorfiit.

Self-sufficient in clean energy by 2030

Hydropower already accounts for two-thirds of all the energy that Nukissiorfiit generates for its 20,000 customers.

“But by 2030, we expect to be able to deliver 100% clean, carbon-neutral electricity to our customers through a combination of hydropower and, to a lesser extent, the increased deployment of solar PV and wind turbines,” says Cicilie Senderovitz.

“We established the first Greenlandic hydroelectric power plant in 1993, and have been determinedly pursuing sustainable ambitions ever since. Most recently, there was a political decision to expand our largest hydropower plant, more than doubling its capacity,” she adds.

“We established the first Greenlandic hydroelectric power plant in 1993, and have been determinedly pursuing sustainable ambitions ever since. Most recently, there was a political decision to expand our largest hydropower plant, more than doubling its capacity,” she adds.

The Buksefjord power plant supplies Nuuk with electricity, and Nukissiorfiit aims to install two additional turbines and a 12-kilometre tunnel to an elevated lake, which will be supplied with meltwater directly from the inland ice cap. The Buksefjord plant will then be able to produce up to 100 megawatts.

An obvious pioneer country for modern energy technology

However, the company’s ambitions go beyond ‘just’ supplying electricity to Greenlandic customers, because the exploitation of the vast amounts of meltwater for energy production makes Greenland one of the most obvious locations on the planet to work with ‘Power to X’. In this process, green electricity is used to produce hydrogen-based, carbon-neutral fuels that are stored and used as entirely adequate substitutes for oil and gas in transport, agriculture and industry.

“The development of Power to X is essential if the world is to be fossil-free by 2050, and the current energy crisis has only heightened interest in it. We are already receiving many enquiries from potential external investors and stakeholders, and when our minister gave a presentation to 3,000 participants at the World Hydrogen 2022 Summit in Rotterdam, he encountered a great deal of interest,” says Cicilie Senderovitz.

However, much effort will be needed to realise these ambitions.

“We are already putting a lot of effort into telling young people about the huge and significant potential of taking a technical or scientific education and contributing to the green transition. The political will to ensure the necessary infrastructure plays a major role here; after all, young people can see the concrete results with their own eyes,” notes Cicilie Senderovitz.

The second track is to develop existing cooperative relations with, amongst others, Iceland, which, like Greenland, is characterised by a complex geography, where hydropower plays a crucial role in ensuring there is climate-neutral power in the outlets, regardless of how far you live from the capital.

“That’s also a crucial point up here. Green energy must be for everyone, and it should be remembered that Greenland is much more than Nuuk, Sisimiut, Ilulissat and the other large towns. In Nukissiorfiit, we can only really pat ourselves on the back when even the most remote settlement can turn off its diesel generator,” says Cicilie Senderovitz.

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