EU launches investigation into Fehmarn Belt financing model

The European Commission said it will investigate the public financing for the Fehmarn Belt link to see if it in line with state aid rules. The announcement follows the European Union General Court's annulment of a previous Commission decision approving the support. "Today's opening of such an investigation is an invitation for all stakeholders to provide their input, which will allow the Commission to adopt a new, well-informed final decision,” said Margrethe Vestager, EU Competition Commissioner.
June 21, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

The 2465 European Commission said it will investigate the public financing for the Fehmarn Belt link to see if it in line with state aid rules.

The announcement follows the 1116 European Union General Court's annulment of a previous Commission decision approving the support.

"Today's opening of such an investigation is an invitation for all stakeholders to provide their input, which will allow the Commission to adopt a new, well-informed final decision,” said Margrethe Vestager, EU Competition Commissioner.

This financing model is likely to see European Union support of just under €421 million for the project which has an overall cost of around the €8.7 billion.

The Fehmarn Belt is a strait between the German island of Fehmarn and the Danish island of Lolland. The tunnel will replace a ferry service from Rødby and Puttgarden. Construction of the Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link between Denmark and Germany should start this autumn for completion in 2028, according to the 1035 Danish government.

Danish company 4782 Femern, which is responsible for the construction of the link, will begin negotiations with two contractor consortiums for the first of the project’s works which will start on the Danish side. A tunnel element fabrication yard and a works harbour must be built in Rødbyhavn, as well as a tunnel portal on Lolland.

The fixed immersed tunnel 18km link across the Fehmarnbelt will carry a four-lane motorway alongside a twin track-electrified railway. It will be more than five times the length of the tunnel under Øresund linking Denmark and Sweden and more than three times the length of the record-holding Trans-Bay Tube Bart Tunnel in San Francisco in the 972 US state of California.

Vehicle passage through the tunnel at 110kph is expected to take around 10 minutes. Duration of the train journey between Hamburg in northern Germany and the Danish capital  Copenhagen will be cut from about four and a half hours to three, according to engineering consultant 6801 Ramboll which is collaborating with 8624 Tunnel Engineering Consultants (TEC) og 1419 Arup. 6801 Ramboll is advising Fehmarn on the design of the immersed tunnel solution.

Project information is available on the project’s official website, %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external www.femern.com false https://femern.com/en false false%>

Finance & Funding

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • EU construction machinery sector needs resolve as Brexit looms
    February 14, 2019
    German construction machinery manufacturers are concerned about a no-deal Brexit – UK exiting the European Union - and the possible disintegration of the EU. Rising global economic challenges can be mastered only with a strong, united Europe, according to the VDMA - Construction Equipment and Building Material Machinery Association. VDMA represents more than 3,200 mostly medium-sized companies in Germany’s mechanical and plant engineering sector. This was the view by attendees at the VDMA’s constructi
    Read More
  • Testing and striping underway for Seattle’s Alaskan Way tunnel
    August 31, 2018
    Crews have been working flat out on the Alaskan Way Tunnel in Seattle to install and test thousands of components and 90 interconnected systems. The client, Washing State Department of Transportation, said that Seattle Tunnel Partners began installation inside the double-deck State Route 99 tunnel in March after crews completed construction of the upper and lower roadways. STP said that testing could be complete by as early as late September and the tunnel could open as soon as this fall after an ap
    Read More
  • California redefines the term carpool
    April 14, 2015
    California is home to many weird and wonderful home-made vehicles, some more useful than other. But few can be as useful as the car pool table car which can do up to 160kph on the freeway. As shown by this – complete with all the double entendres you could wish for – the owner can drive to the beach, park up and proceed to play pool, which apparently attracts a lot of beach bunnies. http://www.msn.com/en-gb/video/watch/video/vi-AAaCRoj?ocid=OutNUK&from=OutNUK&FORM=BWVOLC A late model Chevrolet Mont
    Read More
  • Innovative road construction demonstration planned
    June 20, 2017
    A demonstration of innovative, sustainable road construction technologies is planned in France. The ERA-NET Plus Infravation has selected the BioRePavation project as part of its European and American transport infrastructure innovation programme.
    Read More

Highlighted Content