Lindo shipyard ready to go green

Green development at Odense Steel Shipyard has now been secured with the establishment of a fund consisting of a few powerful Danish businessmen. OSS, better known as Lind? Shipyard, is being shut down by its owner, A.P. Moller-Maersk, but the new fund will help turn Lind? into one of the world?s largest green energy knowledge centres and wind turbine manufacturing sites.

Former prime minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen is the chairman of the board for ?Fonden Lindoe Offshore Renewables Center?, which was officially established on 3 December with equity of 300,000 kroner.

Businessman Jesper ?hlenschl?ger, who is the head of 43 companies and sits on the boards of many more, is the board?s vice-chairman. ?hlenschl?ger is chief executive of wind turbine company Skykon, which will begin production with 300-500 new jobs at Lind? sometime this spring.

Other influential members of LORC?s board are Anders Eldrup, CEO of Dong Energy; Anders S?e-Jensen, head of Vestas Offshore; and J?rgen Mads Clausen, former CEO and current president of Danfoss.

The fund will not itself finance the green energy projects at Lind?, but will help to attract businesses and assist with the dissemination of both knowledge and support. Instead, the state will put 760 million kroner from the 2010 budget?s ?green pool?, expected to be approved this month.

Money from the pool will not go exclusively to Lind?, but will support green industrial projects throughout the country. Shipbuilding activities will, however, continue at the shipyard until at least 2012 thanks to a frigate contract from the Danish Defence.