Odense Port could become the partner helping to operate the tunnel element factory and construction harbour in Rødbyhavn once production for the Fehmarn Belt tunnel has ended and the final element is resting on the seabed.
On Monday, Sund & Bælt and Odense Port signed an agreement to explore the possibilities for a future partnership. This marks a concrete step towards finding a future use for the facility, in which the Danish state has invested around DKK 7 billion.
- Our task now is to ensure that the facility creates value and lasting employment on Lolland long after the tunnel has been completed, says Sund & Bælt CEO Mikkel Hemmingsen in a press release.
Odense Port has experience transforming the former Lindø shipyard into an industrial area serving sectors including offshore wind and heavy industry. That experience makes the port a natural partner, according to Mikkel Wesselhoff, CEO of Business Lolland-Falster.
- Odense Port knows what it takes to operate a large industrial area with a port in an international market. That experience is exactly what Rødbyhavn needs, he says.
However, ownership, financing and the specific operating model have not yet been decided. These issues will be addressed in the negotiations, with the aim of reaching a final agreement by 2028 at the latest.
In 2023, it was decided to preserve the factory after construction of the tunnel is completed, and in September the area was designated a national industrial park. Production of tunnel elements is currently expected to continue until the end of 2029. No specific companies have yet been announced as future users of the facility.
