Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link (coast-coast) TRANSBOUNDARY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT Summary Report CONTENTS 1 Introduction to the fehmarnbelt fixed link 5 2 Background for Espoo process 6 3 Planning of alignment – immersed tunnel 8 4 Immersed tunnel – technical description 10 5 Alternative technical solutions and alternative alignments 16 6 Transboundary impact assessment 17 7 Control and monitoring programme 59 3 Gothenburg SKAGERRAK Frederikshavn Aalborg DENMARK KATTEGAT SWEDEN Aarhus Elsinore Helsingborg Kristianstad JUTLAND SCANIA Copenhagen Malmö G r ZEALAND Ystad e Esbjerg a t Ø Trelleborg B Ringsted r e FUNEN e l t s u n Odense d BALTIC SEA LOLLAND – FALSTER Sakskøbing Flensborg Rødby Sassnitz Fehmarn belt Gedser FEHMARN Puttgarden Heiligenhafen SCHLESWIG- HOLSTEIN Kiel Rostock Travemünde Swinoujscie Bad Schwartau Lübeck MECKLENBURG- WESTERN POMERANIA Bremerhaven HAMBURG GERMANY Oldenburg BREMEN LOWER SAXONY BRANDENBURG Railway Motorway SAXONY- ANHALT 0 25 50 75 100 km BERLIN 4 Wolfsburg Hannover Gothenburg SKAGERRAK 1 Frederikshavn INTRODUCTION TO THE FEHMARNBELT FIXED LINK Aalborg DENMARK This report, hereafter the Espoo A fixed link across the Fehmarnbelt Femern A/S has investigated Report, constitutes the trans- would lead to an appreciable four technical solutions. KATTEGAT SWEDEN boundary environmental impact improvement in the transport Aarhus assessment for the Fehmarnbelt of goods and people between The Fixed Link is planned as an Elsinore Helsingborg Fixed Link to be used for the con- the two countries, and also between approximately 18 kilometre long Kristianstad sultation of the Baltic Sea countries continental Europe and Scandinavia, immersed tunnel; because the and Norway in accordance with as well as to a promotion of rail investigations and planning indicate the Espoo Convention on Environ- traffic and a strengthening of that an immersed tunnel is the best JUTLAND SCANIA Copenhagen mental Impact Assessment in a integration, vitality, competition, solution in terms of e.g. technical Transboundary Context, hereafter and development in the regions. construction risks, construction Malmö ”the Espoo Convention” or investments, and environmental G r ZEALAND Ystad e Esbjerg a ”the Convention”. The fixed link across Fehmarnbelt factors. t Ø Trelleborg B Ringsted r e will extend to stretch across the FUNEN e l t s u n The Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link is a 18 kilometre wide Fehmarnbelt The four technical solutions investi- Odense d joint Danish and German transport between the Danish island of gated are: An immersed tunnel, a infrastructure project across the Lolland and the German island bored tunnel, a cable-stayed bridge, Fehmarnbelt. The project has been of Fehmarn in the western part and a suspension bridge. For each planned in accordance with the of the Baltic Sea. technical solution, possible align- BALTIC SEA 2008 Treaty between the Kingdom ments have been investigated, LOLLAND – FALSTER of Denmark and the Federal Repub- The Fehmarnbelt Region is and a comparison of the technical Sakskøbing lic of Germany for a fixed link across demarcated as the northern part alternatives has been performed. Flensborg the Fehmarnbelt. of Germany, the eastern part of Rødby Denmark and the southern part A summary of the investigations Sassnitz Fehmarn belt Gedser The Kingdom of Denmark is respon- of Sweden. The region has a as well as background for the final FEHMARN Puttgarden sible for the planning, construction, population of almost 9 million, selection of the technical solution and operation of the Fehmarnbelt approximately 1.2 million in is presented in this report. As the Heiligenhafen SCHLESWIG- Fixed Link. In order to carry out this the Swedish part, 2.5 million in immersed tunnel is the project HOLSTEIN Kiel task, the government of Denmark the Danish part and 5.2 million being applied for and hereby has established the company in the German part. the preferred solution, focus in this Rostock Femern A/S, which is 100 % owned report is on the immersed tunnel. Travemünde Swinoujscie by the Danish State, represented The Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link covers Bad Schwartau by the Danish Ministry of Transport. areas on Lolland (Denmark), Lübeck Fehmarn (Germany) and a marine The Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link has area (Denmark and Germany). The MECKLENBURG- WESTERN POMERANIA been planned as a consequence of project crosses the national border Bremerhaven HAMBURG Denmark and Germany recognising between Denmark and Germany. that the transport infrastructure between the two states must be Construction work will take place improved in order to promote the within the national jurisdictions GERMANY European and regional transport of both countries. Oldenburg of goods and people. BREMEN LOWER SAXONY BRANDENBURG SAXONY- ANHALT BERLIN 5 Wolfsburg Hannover 2 BACKGROUND FOR ESPOO PROCESS The Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link is notifications, and for the exchange The Espoo documentation is subject to a transboundary environ- of relevant information to/from focused on providing sufficient mental impact assessment accord- the potentially affected countries. background information, including ing to the Espoo Convention and baseline data, in order to facilitate the EU Directive 85/337/EEC, as For a transnational project such as the identification of transboundary the Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link can the Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link, both impacts, but does not replicate all of potentially cause transboundary Denmark and Germany are parties the detailed material that is required environmental impacts. of origin. of the national EIAs. The Espoo Report methodology corresponds to The Espoo Convention’s primary aim In Denmark, the Danish Ministry the Danish EIA report methodology, is to prevent, mitigate and monitor of Environment is responsible for and therefore it describes the environmental damage by ensuring the above-mentioned exchange impacts expected from the project that explicit consideration is given to of relevant information to and from as well as mitigation measures. transboundary environmental factors the potentially affected countries in before a final national decision is connection with the Danish Espoo According to the Espoo Convention as to whether to approve a project. procedure. all potentially affected parties are notified and invited to participate In addition, the objective of the According to Article 3 of the Espoo in the EIA procedure. Responses Espoo Convention is to identify and Convention, Germany and Denmark to this notification have been communicate potential transbound- must notify affected parties. In rela- evaluated and taken into account ary impacts to stakeholders via the tion to the Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link, by Femern A/S, the State Company an impact assessment. the possible affected parties, apart for Road Construction and Transport from Denmark and Germany, could of Schleswig-Holstein, and the According to Article 3 of the Espoo be countries around the Baltic Sea: Danish Ministry of the Environment, Convention, the Parties of Origin Sweden, Poland, Finland, Estonia, and are addressed in the Espoo are responsible for the content Latvia, Lithuania, the Russian Report. and acknowledgement of receipt of Federation, and Norway. Femern A/S is part of Sund and Bælt The Danish State Holding A/S, which is 100 percent The Ministry of Transport owned by the Danish Transport Ministry. Sund & Bælt Holding A/S is also responsible for the fixed link Sund & Bælt across the Great Belt. Holding A/S Femern A/S Storebælt A/S Øresund Landanlæg A/S Femern A/S 6 7 3 PLANNING OF ALIGNMENT – IMMERSED TUNNEL To find the most expedient location The identification of the alignment Based on these results, Femern A/S of the coast-to-coast project, the for the tunnel solution is based has concluded that the eastern alignment has been decided on the on two limitations: corridor is the project corridor basis of an environmental sensitivity that has the lowest environmental analysis and an alignment analysis. 1. The ferry operation between conflict potentials. Furthermore, The analyses were conducted in Rødbyhavn and Puttgarden Femern A/S has presented its an early phase of the project, based must be operable during the proposal for the alignment of the on existing knowledge, and con- construction and operation phase immersed tunnel which is located centrated on the most significant within the eastern corridor. After differences between the alignment 2. The submarine cable, located publication of proposals for the alternatives. below the seabed between alignment in 2010, this has formed Lolland and Fehmarn, must the basis of a continued planning In both the marine area and on not be impacted process and dialogue with authori- Lolland and Fehmarn, the environ- ties and landowners. mental sensitivity analysis suggested Due to these limitations, alignments that the eastern project corridor has which fully or partly make use of a lower environmental impact than the harbour facilities, impact the a western corridor, since it passes submarine cable or intersect with through fewer areas with a high the ferry route have been rejected. conflict potential. Based on an environmental assess- On the basis of the environmental ment, the alignment alternatives sensitivity analysis, four approaches west of Rødbyhavn harbour and on both Lolland and Fehmarn were Puttgarden harbour for both the identified within the eastern and tunnel and bridge are considered western corridors, giving a total less expedient and have been of 16 different combinations of rejected, thereby reducing the alignment