Enabling change and innovation in marine governance: Lessons learnt from the Danish Bornholm Energy Island

In 2020, to meet the European Green Deal goals, Denmark announced the Energy Islands: large-scale transforming stations meant to collect, convert and redistribute energy generated by offshore wind farms. One example is Bornholm Energy Island (BEI), an energy hub placed on the Danish island of Bornholm. BEI is part of a future internationally shared energy network across the Baltic Sea and has received status as a Project of Common Interest within the European Union. However, economic and environmental uncertainties, alongside disagreements about roles and responsibilities between international public institutions and industries, resulted in an indefinite pause of the project in early 2025 and a reimplementation eight months later. To understand these outcomes, this paper explores the enabling and constraining conditions connected to change, innovation, and stagnation in governance of the energy sector, looking specifically at the case of BEI. Data collection and analysis are structured using the Multilayered Collaborative Marine Governance (MLCMG) Model, which focuses on four building blocks of change and innovation in marine governance arrangements: collaboration dynamics, institutional attributes, governance capabilities, and the role of E-governance tools. Results indicate that fragmented stakeholder motivations, the lack of dissemination resources, and a complex geopolitical landscape have led to project uncertainties, increased expenses and a deficiency in stakeholder engagement. The discussion section examines the linkages between the building blocks of change and innovation in the case of BEI, providing direction for policy changes for future offshore energy hub projects.