Time schedule for the Fehmarnbelt coast-to-coast project, April 2012

Femern A/S

17 April 2012

1. Background
In April 2012, Femern A/S prepared a revised time schedule for the Fehmarnbelt project that
accommodates the challenges associated with obtaining approval for a large and complicated
infrastructure project in both Denmark and Germany.
The time schedule describes the link between the three primary processes that are to be completed
before construction work can begin. The three processes are:

The Danish authority approval

The German authority approval
The tender process

The time schedule also contains Femern A/S estimate of the duration of the various processes.
This assessment is based on Femern A/S own analyses, discussions with the companys
consultants and discussions with the Danish and German authorities.
As the revisions to the time schedule involve only the planning phase, Femern A/S remains
convinced that the construction of the Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link itself will take 6 1/2 years as an
immersed tunnel solution.

2. Review of important milestones and processes in the planning phase

The three processes that are to be completed before the construction work can commence are
linked and will influence each other during the course of the future work. The processes have the
same basis in the form of conceptual designs for the bridge and tunnel as well as the
environmental and safety impact assessments etc. For example, the information included in the
Danish and German authority applications must be consistent, even though the form and level of
detail vary. Furthermore, the project for which the company is seeking approval must be consistent
with the project being put out to tender.
The time schedule is based on the links and ties that exist between the different processes.
It has, for example, been decided that the tender process will not commence until the Danish EIA
report has been published to ensure agreement between the project submitted for approval and
the project put out to tender. Similarly, the Danish EIA process is not expected to start until
agreement is reached between Femern A/S and Landesbetrieb Straenbau und Verkehr Lbeck
(LBV Lbeck), which is a co-applicant on the project in Germany concerning the content of the
German application material. This is to ensure agreement between the Danish and German
authority applications.

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17 April 2012

The ties between the three processes involve the risk that a delay in one process could delay the
other processes accordingly.
The most important processes and milestones are explained below in the revised time schedule
for the coast-to-coast project. The time schedule is illustrated in appendix 1, where the ties
between the three processes are shown by arrows.
The Danish plan approval process
In the revised time schedule, the EIA consultation process in Denmark is expected to begin in midMay 2013. This is approx. 1 1/2 months after the German application documents have been
submitted for consideration by the approval authority in Germany, Landesbetrieb Straenbau und
Verkehr in Kiel (LBV Kiel). It is therefore considered expedient that the Danish approval process
should not be initiated until a large degree of security has been established concerning the
content of the German application material.
The Construction Act is assumed to be brought before the Danish Parliament in October 2014 and
passed at the end of 2014. It is assumed that when drafting the new legislation, the Danish
Parliament will receive updated information on the construction finances for the project based on
actual bid prices for the work of establishing the immersed tunnel itself, including the marine dredging
as well as the approach and ramp areas on land.
The German plan approval process
The work of finalising the German application material in cooperation with the co-applicant in the
project, LBV Lbeck, is expected to end on 1 April 2013. The application for project approval is then
expected to be submitted for consideration by the approval authority, LBV Kiel. After incorporation
of any comments from LBV Kiel, the final German application is expected to be submitted to LBV
Kiel in the beginning of August 2013.
As the official plan approval process is expected to last for 18 months, the German approval will
take place in January 2015.
The tender process
The prequalification process is planned to be initiated on 1 September 2012, and the tender
process is planned to begin in mid-May 2013, in parallel with commencement of the EIA
consultation in Denmark.
The time schedule for the tender process is based on the tender being conducted by means of a socalled competitive dialogue. This means the tender process will be divided into three phases. First,

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17 April 2012

the provisional bids will be collected in which the prequalified contractors describe how they will
solve the tasks in technical terms, but without pricing information. These bids are expected to be
received in December 2013.
The dialogue phase will then last until the end of June 2014. The purpose of the dialogue phase
is, for example, to create the opportunity to incorporate innovative ideas from the contractors in the
final tender documents, while ensuring the interfaces between the various contracts are clearly
described.
After the dialogue phase, the contractors must submit binding bids with prices specified. This is
expected to take place in September 2014. The prices from this bidding round will form the basis
of the updated information on the projects construction finances that will be submitted to the Danish
Parliament in connection with drafting the Construction Act.
Contracts will not be entered into until approval has been obtained in both Denmark and Germany.
As it cannot be excluded that further requirements will be made concerning the project, for example
in relation to managing the environmental impact of the project, time has been allowed for a new
dialogue round with the bidding contractors. The purpose of this dialogue will be to clarify the
potential need to adjust the standards applied, including pricing, to take authority requirements into
account. The dialogue, which is assumed to be carried out in February-March 2015, will only
concern the handling of authority requirements, and is therefore not expected to have any major
impact on the projects construction finances.
The actual signing of the contracts is expected to take place in May 2015.
Risk assessment
Femern A/S considers the time schedule to be realistic yet ambitious. The company considers it
necessary to maintain a sense of urgency both internally within the organisation and in relation to
external business partners with a view to completing the plan approval process as quickly as
possible.
Due to the many issues beyond or partly beyond the companys control, there is a risk that the
process will take longer than estimated in the time schedule. This particularly applies to the plan
approval process in Germany which presents some special challenges:

Femern A/S

Femern A/S does not have the sole responsibility for preparing the German application
material. According to German legislation, only the German authorities can apply for
approval for a road project on German territory. This means that the application involving the
road part in Germany must be formally submitted to the Schleswig-Holstein road
directorates department in Lbeck (LBV Lbeck) based on the standards established by
Femern A/S.

17 April 2012

The project must fulfil both German and Danish requirements, which creates the need for
coordination between the company and the authorities in both countries to ensure that the
same project is approved in both countries. The time schedule is therefore based on active
participation on the part of the authorities.

As such a large-scale and complex project concerning the marine area has never before
been implemented, problems may arise that the authorities have never previously
addressed. This will imply that the plan approval process could take longer than
anticipated.

Femern A/S will make a targeted effort to reduce this risk, but the risk of further delays cannot be
eliminated, especially not in terms of issues beyond the companys control. Experience from the
approval of other large-scale infrastructure projects in Germany shows that it can be difficult to
estimate the duration of the plan approval process.
For the sake of good order, it should be mentioned that this time schedule does not take account of
any delays resulting from complaints or appeal cases in connection with the official plan approval
process in the two countries or complaint cases in connection with the tender process.

Femern A/S

17 April 2012

Appendix 1.

Time schedule for the planning of the Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link

2012
2013
2014
2015
A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J
Danish Plan Approval process
Preparation of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
Danish EIA procedure including white book
Preparation of Construction Act
Construction Act Parliament process
German Plan Approval process
Preparation of German Plan Approval process
Pre review by LBV Kiel
German Approval process up to and including hearings
Writing of Plan Approval decision
Appeal period and evaluation of appeals
Procurement process civil works contracts
Preparation of tender documents
Prequalification process
Interim Bid phase
Evaluation of interim Bids
Dialogue phase 1
Final Bid phase
Evaluation of Final Bids
Dialogue phase 2
Contract preparation including signing

Expected opening: End of 2021.

Femern A/S

17 April 2012