Northern Europe's sustainable and innovative tech hub

Situated south of downtown Copenhagen, Avedøre Holme is one of the largest, most coveted industrial areas in the Nordic countries, housing around 400 businesses. In January 2019, the Danish Government and Hvidovre Municipality, where Avedøre Holme belongs, unveiled plans to expand the area by establishing nine man-made islets called "Holmene". The ambition is not only to develop one of Northern Europe's largest industrial areas, but also one of the most sustainable and innovative tech hubs in the world.

Holmene will run entirely on clean energy generated by wind turbines off the coast of Holmene and by the Green Tech Island. The Green Tech Island will host the biggest waste-to-energy plant in Northern Europe and is a central part of Holmene. The plant will treat wastewater from approx. 1.5 million Copenhageners, collecting sludge and biowaste and transforming it into biogas, supplying more than 140,000 households with renewable energy, which will reduce the region's carbon emission.

The Green Tech Island will also store surplus power from the wind turbines, and function as a facility for the development of new green energy production and energy storage technology.

Holmene is a NaturePlus project which will provide Greater Copenhagen with more natural spaces than what is available today. Each of the islets will be surrounded by a natural belt creating a coastline with jogging routes, bike trails and facilities for water sports. The belts will also offer more tranquil areas for sea gardens, beaches and educational activities. Several small islets and reefs will be inaccessible to humans, providing new opportunities for fauna and flora.

COWI has been part of Avedøre Holme and the establishment of Holmene.com right from the beginning when the vision was kicked off with a business case for handover and reclamation of a 270 ha area. COWI prepared estimates for framing and filling, and provided consultancy on the organisational and financial setup. Furthermore, COWI provided client consultancy services to Hvidovre Municipality regarding establishment and approval of the future Holmene.com, which involved strategic land development and civil engineering assessments among other things.