Not since the Battle of Køge Bay during the Great Nordic War in October 1710, when the hero Ivar Huitfeldt sacrificed himself and almost 600 crew members to save 44 Danish warships, has the air been as dense with gunpowder smoke and battle cries around the bay as it is in these days.

Just over two years after a broad majority in the Folketing agreed on a new climate law, which has sent Denmark into a historically large, green social experiment, the consequences are beginning to be tangible and concrete just south of Copenhagen. And it does not go quietly by itself.

The battle is not about fighting Sweden's dreams of great power as in the early 18th century, but about the gigantic construction projects that will place Copenhagen and all of Denmark on the map as a green and climate-friendly growth region.

We start right on the edge of Avedøre Holme in Hvidovre.

It's a humid, cold winter afternoon. The smoke rises against gray clouds from Avedøreværket's two 150 meter high chimneys and blows in over Hvidovre and its 53,500 inhabitants.

The city's new mayor, Anders Wolf Andresen (SF), straightens the scarf, closes the coat tightly to keep the cold out and looks out over the water at the windmills at the end of Avedøre Holme.

Here at the far end of the islet with Avedøreværket in the back and a view of the southern tip of Amager and further beyond Køge Bay, the 37-year-old mayor stands with a completely unique opportunity to make the big green social experiment a reality.

Couped mayor and took over wild plans

He can become the mayor who turned the wild plans on the drawing board into reality and created a new, green industrial and energy adventure that will seriously place Hvidovre and the rest of the capital area on the world map.

The plans have been taken over by Adam Wolf Andresen from the former mayor Helle Adelborg (S).

She had to leave the mayor's office, where the Social Democrats had resided since 1925, after the SF, the Unity List, the Conservatives, the Hvidovre List and the Liberal Party couped her with a broad constitutional agreement. But for now, there is no indication that the new majority will skip the green plans.

»The environment comes first. But the climate can not wait either. Climate and nature are not opposites. If we have to temporarily sacrifice some nature for the sake of the green transition, it will always require me to at least re-establish something similar in nature, preferably more than what we lose, "says Hvidovre new mayor, Anders Wolf Andresen (SF ).

Photo: Asger Ladefoged.

If the plans become a reality, nine new islets of a total of 3.2 million square meters will be erected next to the current Avedøre Holme. The islets will extend about 2.5 kilometers out into the bay towards Amager and will accommodate 380 companies, which will create 12,000 new jobs. It is to become "one of Northern Europe's largest, greenest and most innovative business areas."

The first of the islets, Green Tech Island, is scheduled to be ready in 2031 and will house a large, state-of-the-art, underground treatment plant that handles the capital area's wastewater. Companies for whom it gives an advantage to be close to a treatment plant are also expected to establish themselves on the island.

The other islets are scheduled to be ready in 2045.

Behind the mayor inside the Avedøre power plant's area, large, green plans are also underway. Here, Ørsted, together with the other partners behind the Green Fuel for Denmark project, will build a giant, green hydrogen factory, which will be able to supply green methanol for shipping, hydrogen for trucks and not least the green aviation fuel needed for air traffic in Denmark to turn green.

This kind requires large amounts of electricity, which in the long run must come from the energy island at Bornholm. Initially, however, the green energy will come from an offshore wind farm, Aflandshage, a good distance out in Køge Bay. Here, between 27 and 45 offshore wind turbines of 210-220 meters, which is higher than the pylons on the Øresund Bridge and the Torso in Malmö, will supply electricity corresponding to the annual consumption of 250,000-300,000 families from 2025.

It is fitting that Green Fuels for Denmark this week announced that they have advanced part of the project, so they now expect to be able to take a plant with an electrolysis capacity of 100 megawatts into use already in 2025.

'Better a hydrogen factory than a nuclear power plant'

The power from the wind farm will be led directly into the Avedøre power plant's area, where the hydrogen factory is scheduled to be built. And a large transformer station will be built, which will distribute the power between the hydrogen factory and the electricity grid in the capital.

When the power goes ashore from the energy island near Bornholm a few years later, it is time for Avedøre Holme to lay the groundwork for a giant transformer station that is expected to be 100 meters long, 60 meters wide and 25 meters high.

The nine islets are still a vision, emphasizes Anders Wolf Andresen, but it is a vision that should preferably become a reality.

"I am enthusiastic about the vision, which is about creating many new jobs, while at the same time creating a green symbiosis," says the mayor.

Here in Køge Bay, it is intended that in a few years there will be a number of wind turbines, higher than the pylons on the Øresund Bridge and the Torso in Malmö. And by 2045, nine new islets will grow out of the water off Avedøre Holme and become Northern Europe's largest, greenest and most innovative industrial area. However, Hvidovre's mayor, Anders Wolf Andresen, will not promise that the schedule will hold for the new islets. The environmental consequences must first be thoroughly assessed.

Photo: Asger Ladefoged.

He also fully supports Green Fuels for Denmark's plans for a green hydrogen and fuel production at Avedøre Holme.

“It is absolutely ingenious to convert the wind energy that is produced at night, for example, into green fuel for aircraft. In the green transition we are going through, Power-to-X is clearly the future, "says Anders Wolf Andresen.

He welcomes the fact that the partnership behind the project has just decided to advance production.

“The faster we can make the green transition, the better. When nuclear power and gas can unfortunately be described as green forms of energy in the EU, there is a great need for us here in Denmark to show a really greener road, where we can get planes and trucks to fly and run on green wind turbine power instead. for on fossil fuels. The climate is not waiting, "says Anders Wolf Andresen.

He is not worried about the prospect of the inhabitants of Hvidovre getting a hydrogen factory in the backyard.

“Security must, of course, be in order. But I would much rather live next to a plant like this than a nuclear power plant, "says the mayor.

In other words, the level of ambition is high in Hvidovre. But further out over Køge Bay, the cannon thunder rumbles.

South Coast mayors go on the attack

At the end of January, seven mayors from Stevns, Køge, Solrød, Greve, Ishøj, Vallensbæk and Brøndby issued a press release in which they expressed their concern about what will happen in Køge Bay in the coming years.

»Køge Bay is the subject of enormous interest. Pt. the clapping of the first 200,000 tonnes of sludge out of a total of two million tonnes from Lynetteholmen is underway. The establishment of nine artificial islands off Hvidovre is on the drawing board. In addition, considerations about increased discharge of wastewater from Copenhagen, establishment of offshore wind turbines, sand extraction and a transformer station at Ishøj with cables from Køge Bay, «wrote the seven mayors in a joint press release and demanded an overall environmental assessment of the projects for the whole of Køge Bay.

Vallensbæk's conservative mayor, Henrik Rasmussen, is one of those who is upset.

Today there are three wind turbines on Avedøre Holme. Some of the power from them will be used for a demonstration project, H2RES, which Ørsted is working on in the production of green hydrogen. It is a precursor to starting large-scale hydrogen production at Avedøre Holme.

Photo: Asger Ladefoged.

The mayor of Hvidovre is not invited to join the group, and Henrik Rasmussen explains it like this:

»With the islets and plans for a large treatment plant that will direct wastewater into Køge Bay, Hvidovre Municipality has something that the rest of us do not want. It is all about that they have made a solo agreement with the City of Copenhagen. We have never been involved or have been asked, even if it has major consequences for our municipalities. Hvidovre must invite us if they want to talk to us about it. "

Henrik Rasmussen agrees that there is a need for a green transition, and that Copenhagen needs new housing. But he is worried that it is all going too fast and that there is no openness about the consequences.

Must think about us properly

“I have a problem with the speed of these projects. I am worried that in our eagerness to obtain green energy and build large projects really quickly, we will not get to think properly about it, «says Henrik Rasmussen, who in addition to being mayor has 26 years of experience from the technical and environmental committee in Vallensbæk Commune.

»Once we have built bridges to Jutland and Sweden, we have spent several years managing the environmental impact. Now it's about who can start a project the fastest, "says Henrik Rasmussen.

When it comes to the upcoming offshore wind farm, Aflandshage, it is especially Stevns Municipality that is on the barricades. The towering wind turbines will be located just eight kilometers from Stevns Klint, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It will spoil the tourists' experience of the cliff, he believes.

Henrik Rasmussen emphasizes that as such he does not have the big problems with the wind turbines in the Aflandshage project. What worries him is the total number of projects that could affect the seabed in Køge Bay.

»Køge Bay is a fantastic area, and the municipalities next to the bay have spent many years establishing beach parks with good bathing water and ensuring a high biodiversity in the area. I am afraid that with all these large individual projects, what we have created will be destroyed, "he says.

This is the reason why he supports the demand for a thorough environmental assessment of all projects throughout Køge Bay.

So far, HOFOR, which is behind the establishment of the offshore wind farm, has denied that there should be cause for concern. This together has By & Havn, which is responsible for Lynetteholm.

It's all on the drawing board

In Hvidovre, the city's new mayor is facing a major diplomatic effort if he is to get his mayoral colleagues to the south to stop shelling, keep good friends with the neighbors in Copenhagen and deliver Hvidovre's contribution to the green transition.

Right now, however, there is neither a hydrogen factory, an offshore wind farm or new islets to be seen out here at the end of Avedøre Holme. It's all on the drawing board.

Ørsted will make its investment decision on the large hydrogen factory next year. However, all indications are that the project will become something after the government has announced strict and high ambitions for the production of green fuel in Denmark.

Anders Wolf Andresen is 37 years old. He has a master's degree. scient.pol. from the University of Copenhagen and has worked as office manager for the educators' union, BUPL. He has been on the Hvidovre Municipal Board for SF 2010-2013 and again from 2018. After the local elections in the autumn, he and SF entered into a constitution agreement with the Unity List, Left, Conservatives and Hvidovre List, which meant that almost 100 years of social democratic government in Hvidovre was broken.

Photo: Asger Ladefoged.

Whether the offshore wind farm at Aflandshage will be up and running in 2025, as planned, depends on whether the authorities approve the project when the public consultation on the environmental study of the project is completed later in February.

Nor is there the shadow of a new islet out in the water yet. Right now, the plan is for a planning law to be passed in the Folketing this year. Next year, the Construction Act must be passed, and in 2025 the first sod can be taken.

Anders Wolf Andresen doubts, however, that it will go so fast. Firstly, the city council in Hvidovre has had a major replacement. Nine out of 21 members are brand new, and according to Wolf Andresen, they must have the opportunity to familiarize themselves properly with the projects at Avedøre Holme before the final decisions are made.

In addition, he insists that the preparation and environmental studies be done properly.

»I do not want to say too much about the process around Lynetteholm, but when you look at them, you can at least learn a thing or two if you want to be in control of your environmental assessment and consideration for the environment. That way, I'm in no hurry. I think we need to do it properly so that I, as an environmentally conscious SFer, can be on target for what we do, "says Hvidovre's mayor.

When it comes to the offshore wind turbines at Aflandshage, the mayor insists that the park be built.

“When we as a country and community have to go through the green transition together, we must all take responsibility, and no one can avoid participating in the transition. Here in Hvidovre, we will then, among other things, handle transformer stations and the large plants at Ørsted's plant at Avedøre Holme. We take responsibility for that, "says Anders Wolf Andresen.

The mayor of Hvidovre, Anders Wolf Andresen, does not believe that disagreements about large green projects and buildings in the metropolitan area mean that it has become Hvidovre against the "south coast municipalities". “It means a lot to me to be part of the dialogue. I think that Hvidovre takes the dialogue both with the other coastal municipalities and with Copenhagen, "he says.

Photo: Asger Ladefoged.

On the other hand, he shares concerns about the dumping of seabed material from Lynetteholm in Køge Bay. But he believes that dialogue is the way forward.

‘I am of the opinion that the wisest thing we can do is take the dialogue and raise our concerns. There is no doubt that the environment comes first. That is why we must take an active part in the meetings in which decisions on environmental protection are taken. It is not enough to promote his views in the media, «says Anders Wolf Andresen, who says that he has appointments in the calendar with several of his dissatisfied colleagues.

Whether it is enough to create peace in Køge Bay, time will tell.

»All the shit smokes in Køge Bay«

The mayors' frustrations are also related to a feeling that the municipalities on Vestegnen and on the South Coast will pay the price for the City of Copenhagen achieving its goal of becoming a growing green capital, while Hvidovre municipality gets the benefit in the form of jobs.

»This is about the City of Copenhagen wanting to be so green that it affects everyone else. You push the problems further and can then sit and be green, "says Henrik Rasmussen, mayor of Vallensbæk.

But if no municipalities want the wastewater from the capital, the prospect of wind turbines or the traffic into the city, then how to implement the green transition and create growth?

»The fact that you want to expand with an island and move a treatment plant is, in a sense, Copenhagen's own problem. They can not just assume that everyone claps their hands and accept that all the shit goes out in Køge Bay, "says Henrik Rasmussen.

Instead, he calls for a more general and well-thought-out plan for where and how the green transition should take place.

Why should the hydrogen factory and associated wind farms and transformer stations, for example, be close to Copenhagen? And why do you want to drive land from all over Zealand to Lynetteholmen to expand the city and to Hvidovre to build artificial islets and create 12,000 jobs, while at the same time having a goal of creating growth outside the capital.

“You should see it in a bigger picture. We are currently moving knowledge institutions and educations to Zealand because we want to create growth. But we are building the right workplaces and homes in Copenhagen and Hvidovre. We should move it to Zealand, where there is room and need for growth and jobs, "says Henrik Rasmussen.