Sand, gravel, and small stones are indispensable resources for construction and infrastructure projects. And as we have previously described here in FemernReport, the resource is under pressure. At least, that is the common narrative.
But in fact, the Danish subsoil – both on land and at sea – holds far more reserves of these essential raw materials than are being extracted today. They are just in the wrong places. This is shown in a new report from GEUS – The Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland.
One percent of land area
According to GEUS’s mapping, approximately one percent of the Danish land area is designated for raw material extraction, but only one-tenth of that area is used, for example, for gravel pits. At sea, the picture is roughly the same. Between five and seven percent of the Danish marine area is designated for raw material extraction, but only about one percent is used.
– Denmark is full of raw materials, but they are located in the wrong places in relation to the need. When the raw materials are needed, they therefore have to be transported long distances. The transport is expensive and a problem for the green agenda, says Jørgen Overgaard Leth, a senior advisor and researcher in near-surface land and marine geology, on GEUS’s website.
Eighty percent found at sea
The majority – up to 75 percent – of the raw materials used come from land-based gravel pits. This stands in stark contrast to the fact that 80 percent of the resources are hidden under the sea. The reason more raw materials are not being extracted from the sea is that it is expensive and cumbersome to retrieve them:
– It can negatively impact the CO2 accounts and transport costs to extract larger quantities of raw materials from the seabed. This is because the raw materials primarily need to be used in urban areas far from the current extraction sites, says Jørgen Overgaard Leth.
Big cities use the most
It is in and around the largest cities that the most construction is taking place, and therefore, the need for raw materials is greatest. The greatest need is in the Copenhagen area. However, it is in Jutland that most raw materials are extracted. The Capital Region and Region Zealand are at the bottom of the list in terms of raw material extraction.
The report from GEUS is the first national overview of raw material extraction and resources. Until now, the five regions have each been responsible for their own inventory of how many raw materials are extracted from the gravel pits in their respective regions.
