There was much to celebrate for Lolland-Falster when the Folketing decided on Thursday that the Fehmarn project’s tunnel element factory in Rødbyhavn can remain and continue the production of concrete elements when the last element for the Fehmarn Tunnel has been cast. It is scheduled to take place during 2027.
1,500 jobs
The element factory is expected to be able to contribute with up to 1,500 permanent jobs and a significant growth in economic activity in the area. At the same time, it will make future infrastructure projects cheaper and more efficient that you do not need to build new production facilities for them. It is estimated that the element factory alone cost over six billion kroner to build, and it thus accounts for over ten percent of the total costs of the Fehmarn project.
From a socio-economic point of view, there is no doubt that a continued production of concrete elements in Rødbyhavn is a gain both locally and nationally.
Cement accounts for eight percent of CO2 emissions
However, this rose also has its thorns. Because concrete and infrastructure are among the biggest culprits if we measure CO2 emissions. As you know, concrete is a mixture of cement, water and gravel. And cement production alone accounts for up to eight percent of the world’s total CO2 emissions, according to a 2020 article in the American scientific journal PNAS.
In the EIA report, which forms the basis of the Construction Act on the Fehmarn project, it is estimated that the Fehmarn Tunnel alone will contribute to emissions of around two million tonnes. This corresponds to just over 4.5 percent of Denmark’s total CO2 emissions of 44 million tonnes in 2022.
30 percent of emissions from construction and building
The construction knowledge centre, Molio, calculated in February 2023 that the construction industry collectively accounts for 30 percent of Denmark’s total CO2 emissions.
It is in this light that the radical transport rapporteur, Stinus Lindgreen’s announcement here in FemernReport last week must be seen that the element factory must not become an excuse for starting new mega-construction projects. The factory must produce concrete elements on the basis of a specific, current need – we must not build infrastructure just because we have a factory.
Infrastructure is the biggest culprit
Infrastructure facilities in particular are an independent problem. When we build roads, bridges and tunnels, they are also used. When, for example, you widen a motorway with an extra lane to mitigate congestion problems, the traffic will increase, and after a while, the congestion will be the same. Thus, extra lanes on, for example, the Køge Bugt motorway have in no way reduced rush hour traffic on the stretch today.
A report from the UN Environment Programme, UNEP, from 2021 states that 79 percent of the global emission of greenhouse gases can be attributed to infrastructure.
It could therefore look as if the element factory will contribute to increased CO2 emissions at a time when everyone agrees that we need to reduce emissions strongly.
Research and development in sustainable concrete
One of the arguments for preserving the element factory at Rødbyhavn has been that it could also be a research, training and knowledge center for a transformation of the construction industry in a more sustainable direction.
The cement producer Aalborg Portland, which can also boast the unflattering title of Denmark’s largest CO2 emitter, has just started an experimental CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) plant. In Norway, there are also plans for more sustainable cement production based on electricity from wind, water and solar energy. Most recently, the German cement manufacturer, Holcim, has announced that they will open their first climate-neutral cement factory in Lägerdorf in Schleswig-Holstein.
Front runner with side effect
The element factory in Rødbyhavn will be able to become a front runner in terms of utilizing new technologies and methods in the production of concrete on large-scale construction projects. Thus, in the long term, it will be able to contribute significantly to bringing down the global emission of greenhouse gases from the building/construction industry and infrastructure development.
There is no doubt that Lolland-Falster sees a brighter future with permanent element production in Rødbyhavn. This does not change the paradox that in the short term there will be a “side effect” in the form of increased CO2 emissions. Handled correctly, however, it will make a noticeable positive difference. But it is more than usual doubtful whether it will happen before 2030, as is the objective of the Paris Agreement.
