On Friday afternoon, Sund & Bælt published the environmental impact assessment, which describes the effects on climate and the environment if FLC’s element factory in Rødbyhavn is to be preserved when the Fehmarn Tunnel is completed.
The 284-page long report is immediately positive reading for the many who would like to see the element factory remain and in the future to produce concrete elements for other infrastructure and energy projects.
Many benefits of conservation
Overall, Sund & Bælt believes that there are many advantages to keeping the factory in Rødbyhavn. Among other things, these are economic, environmental and time advantages, and not least the possibility of preserving jobs in Lolland. In addition, the report points to the sustainability aspect of reusing the element factory instead of tearing it down and possibly building a new one elsewhere.
A continued operation of the element factory on Lolland will thus make future mega-projects cheaper and faster. There is also already established infrastructure for the factory in the form of, for example, a working port, roads, water and energy supply, so you don’t have to think about that in any future projects either.
Advantage for business
Locally, business in Lolland-Falster will also be able to benefit from an element factory in the future – among other things in the form of sub-deliveries and demand for goods and services from the factory’s employees. At the same time, the local and regional competences that have been built up as a result of the Fehmarn project will be able to be maintained.
Minimal effects on the environment
In relation to the specific effects on the environment if the element factory is preserved, Sund & Bælt’s report describes them as minimal and of no great significance. Environmental impact assessment from Sund & Bælt builds on the assessment that forms the basis of the Construction Act on the Fehmarn project. And overall, the conclusion is that the measures already taken in the original Construction Act are sufficient.
Wildlife is not affected
Plants, frogs, amphibians, birds and mammals on land will not suffer from making the factory permanent. Nor will marine mammals such as porpoises and seals, fish, shellfish or marine plants and algae be worse off or better off if the factory is preserved, the report reads.
Must establish lakes
In relation to creeks, streams and lakes in the area, there is also nothing to indicate that making the factory permanent will cause problems. However, a few lakes will have to be established, which were otherwise planned to be re-established when the factory was dismantled.
Outdoor life deteriorates
In the original construction act, it was taken into account that the local nature and outdoor life will be noticeably impaired by the tunnel factory. Among other things, it will be solved with compensation, and an extension of the factory’s lifetime is not considered to be of any significant importance.
Noise below the limit
Production of concrete elements will cause a lot of noise. This, too, has already been taken into account in the original Construction Act – among other things when establishing noise barriers. In addition, it is estimated that the distance between the factory and local residences is so great that the noise will not exceed the 40 decibels, which corresponds to the background noise in a residential area far from major roads. The difference, however, is of course that this noise, if the factory is made permanent, will also continue after 2029. The noise limit in a business area is normally 70 decibels.
Significant CO2 emissions
In the area of climate, the element factory is estimated to contribute with significant CO2 emissions. The emissions come from the actual production of concrete elements and cement production, etc. Here, however, it makes no immediate difference to make the factory in Rødbyhavn permanent. The CO2 emission from cement production does not come from the factory in Lolland, but from the cement supplier. And the other emissions as a result of element production will come, whether the elements are produced in Rødbyhavn or somewhere else.
300 tonnes of CO2 in 2030
In 2020, the assessment was that the element factory’s operation and maintenance will emit a maximum of 6,400 tonnes of CO2. According to the report, this will have a minor to moderate impact on Lolland Municipality’s ability to achieve the reduction targets of 70 percent in 2030. However, this impact is expected to be reduced all the way down to approximately 300 tonnes in the year 2030.
All in all, the report from Sund & Bælt concludes that the element factory in Rødbyhavn can be made permanent without significant impacts on the environment.
Hearing and public meeting
The environmental impact assessment has now been sent out for public consultation until 18 August this year. A public meeting will be held in Rødbyhavn on the environmental impact assessment on Wednesday 9 August this year.
