Overview: Billions being invested here

Lolland, Guldborgsund and Vordingborg are undergoing a transformation that will be felt for many years to come. Where there was once talk of periphery, today it's about data centres, green fuels, CO₂ storage, biogas, and new districts for both business and tourism. The municipalities along the Femern corridor now have a series of projects, each involving investments of hundreds of millions or billions, which together can change job opportunities, tax revenues, and settlement in the southern part of the Region Zealand.

The special aspect of the development is its breadth. On Lolland and Falster, plans include heavy process industry, green energy, and large biogas plants, while investments are also being made in new urban areas and tourism initiatives along the south coast. In Vordingborg Municipality, agriculture, port, and energy are being linked in new PtX and biofuel projects. 

Several of the projects are still on the drawing board or undergoing regulatory review, while others are in full construction. What they have in common is that they point to an area that no longer just supplies raw materials and labour to the rest of the country, but is itself becoming a centre for investments, jobs, and new industry.

European Energy: Power-to-X plant in Nakskov

European Energy is planning a large Power-to-X plant at Stensø south of Nakskov Harbour in Lolland Municipality. The plant is expected to produce around 100,000 tonnes of e-methanol annually for green shipping and plastic production, among other things. The investment is estimated at between 2 and 3 billion DKK, and the project will become one of the largest electricity consumers in Denmark with an expected electricity consumption of around 1.2 TWh annually. Construction is expected to begin once local plans, environmental approvals, and the final investment decision are in place. After the municipal election, plans to establish the solar farms that will supply power to the plant have been put on hold.

Arcadia eFuels: PtX plant at Masnedø

At Masnedø near Vordingborg, Arcadia eFuels is planning a full-scale Power-to-X plant to produce synthetic aviation fuel, known as e-SAF. The project has received a commitment for support from the EU's Innovation Fund, placing the plant in the European top class of green industrial ventures. The investment is estimated at around 15 billion DKK if the entire plant is realised. The plan is to use green electricity to produce hydrogen, which is combined with CO₂ and converted into aviation fuel on an industrial scale. The location by the harbour allows for both the shipment of raw materials and the export of the finished e-fuels.

Hveiti Ingredients: wheat refinery in Nakskov

Hveiti Ingredients plans to establish a wheat refinery in Nakskov. The factory will process wheat into, among other things, protein, starch, glucose, and feed ingredients for food and industrial purposes. The location was chosen due to its proximity to the harbour, access to green energy, and a large agricultural hinterland. The site itself has been purchased, and the next steps are local planning, environmental assessment, and project design. The size of the investment has not been disclosed, but the project is described as a major, long-term industrial project with significance for both agriculture and employment.

Green X Energy Nakskov: green industrial park of 250 hectares

Green X Energy Nakskov is a planned green industrial park of approximately 250 hectares south of Nakskov Harbour in Lolland Municipality. The vision is a circular business area where companies can exchange energy, by-products, and resources across the board. The area is to be developed as a modern industrial area with a focus on green production, heavy process industry, and logistics. The industrial park is intended to be home to several large facilities, including upcoming Power-to-X, bioeconomy, and food projects. There is no set total investment amount for the industrial park itself, as it will be filled over time by several individual projects.

Data centre in Business Park Falster

A new AI data centre is on its way to Business Park Falster near Nørre Alslev in Guldborgsund Municipality. German GARBE Data Centers has entered into a conditional agreement to purchase 35 hectares of commercial land with the intention of establishing a large data centre campus. The project is associated with an expected investment framework of around 20 billion DKK if the area is fully developed. The ambition is to create one of the country's largest data centre locations with several data centres and associated service companies. The parties are in agreement, but both parties now have six months to investigate the specific conditions. GARBE, for example, must provide documentation that power can be supplied. And Lolland Falsters Museum must examine the soil for archaeological finds. The overall purpose of the due diligence period is typically to uncover and identify hidden or unforeseen conditions of economic significance to the construction.

State industrial park at Rødbyhavn

A large commercial area at Rødbyhavn on Lolland has been designated as a state industrial park. The industrial park covers up to 800 hectares with access to a port, motorway, railway, and energy infrastructure. The designation means that the area receives special focus in state planning, and new companies can have faster and more flexible planning processes. The perspective is to attract investments worth billions of kroner in areas such as green industry, heavy production, and logistics. The specific investments will come when companies buy into the area.

Green2x: Straw-based biofuel on Møn and in Vordingborg Harbour

Green2x is developing a new type of straw-based biofuel and biogas production in Vordingborg Municipality. The first step is a pilot plant on Møn, which is fully funded with more than 100 million kroner in capital from, among others, Equinor and the state investment fund EIFO. The pilot plant will demonstrate and refine the technology to convert straw into gas and green fuels. The long-term goal is a large-scale plant at Vordingborg Harbour with an investment of over two billion kroner and an expected annual production of more than 170 million m³ of gas. Production is planned to start in 2029, if the schedule holds.

Lolland's south coast and the foreland at Rødbyhavn

At Lolland's south coast and on the new foreland west of Rødbyhavn, work is underway on a major tourism and resort initiative. The plans include hotels and holiday facilities as well as new experience and service functions, which aim to elevate the area as a coastal destination. An investor has expressed readiness to inject billions into the project, but the development depends on political and legislative clarifications. Lolland Municipality sees the initiative as a potential tourism engine on par with the country's largest holiday areas. 

Nørresø Park in Maribo

Nørresø Park is a major urban development project in Maribo on Lolland, where a site of approximately 90,000 m² is to be transformed into a new district. The project includes plans for a hotel, grocery store, retail stores in box formats, offices, and housing with views over Nørresø. The development is taking place privately and aims to both strengthen the business community and attract more visitors and new residents to the town. The timeline suggests that the hotel and business section will come first, while the housing can be built in stages. A total investment amount has not been disclosed, but the project is among the largest private initiatives in Maribo in recent times.

CarbonCuts: potential CO₂ storage at Rødby

The company CarbonCuts is working on developing Project Ruby, which is a land-based CO₂ storage facility at Rødby on South Lolland. The project involves storing captured CO₂ deep down in the so-called Rødby structure, a 10 x 20 kilometre saline reservoir in sandstone more than a kilometre below the earth's surface. The state has designated the area as particularly suitable for CO₂ storage, and since 2024, CarbonCuts has held a state exploration license that allows for large underground surveys. The ambition is a facility that, from around 2030, can store up to 1.5 million tonnes of CO₂ per year from both Danish and foreign emitters. The CO₂ will be shipped to Rødby and handled via a floating terminal before being pumped into the underground for permanent storage. A specific construction amount has not yet been announced, but the Ruby project is described as a billion-class investment and as an important piece in Denmark's strategy for CO₂ capture and storage.

Shell Low Carbon Solutions Biogas, Abed on Lolland

At Abed on Lolland, a large joint biogas plant is being constructed, which is currently being developed under the name Shell Low Carbon Solutions Biogas. The plant is environmentally approved to process up to approximately 600,000 tonnes of biomass per year, primarily livestock manure and organic waste from agriculture and the food industry. In normal operation, the plant is expected to receive around 400,000 tonnes of biomass, which can be converted into 20-22 million m³ of biogas per year, thereby displacing a corresponding amount of fossil natural gas. A central part of the project is an agreement with Nordic Sugar, where the sugar factories in Nakskov and Nykøbing deliver large amounts of beet pulp to the plant and in return receive green gas back for the boilers. The collaboration is part of the sugar company's GoGreen programme and is expected to reduce CO₂ emissions from the factories by up to 37,000 tonnes by 2030. A topping-out ceremony has been held for the construction.

Farmer-owned biogas plant in the Holeby area

In the Holeby area on Lolland, a large farmer-owned biogas plant is planned under the name Lolland-Falster Bioenergy. The plant is intended to be located close to the motorway and gas pipeline and will annually use around 600,000 tonnes of biomass from local farms. The capacity is set at up to 28 million m³ of biogas per year, which can be upgraded to natural gas quality and sent out into the gas network. The investment is estimated to be between 400 and 500 million DKK, depending on the final design. The project aims to provide additional income for agriculture and help reduce CO₂ emissions from energy supply.

The brewery site in Maribo

The brewery site in the centre of Maribo is envisaged as an expansion and modernisation of the town centre, where new shops and possibly liberal professions and service functions can be established. The location close to the centre and with a short distance to Nørresø provides an opportunity to better connect trade, culture, and experiences. The municipality is working on new plans and frameworks for construction, parking, and access conditions. The scope of investment depends on the final projects, but it involves a significant transformation of a central urban area.