Aarhus water project burns €62m before build begins

The Aarhus Rewater project has racked up DKK 461 million in consultant costs before construction has even begun. The total budget stands at DKK 6.65 billion.

The municipal water company Aarhus Vand has spent DKK 461 million on advisers and consultants for the Aarhus Rewater megaproject, before a single shovel has gone in the ground, according to local newspaper Din Avis Aarhus.

The majority of the spending has gone to consultants and advisers. Contractor Per Aarsleff alone has received DKK 207 million for design work, while architecture firm Henning Larsen has received DKK 16 million.

Project director Andrew Ferguson Dunn attributes the costs to a lengthy political process, tightened environmental requirements and early expert involvement.

“Time is money, and when you stretch consultancy over such a long period, it costs,” he told the newspaper.

Construction is still two to three years away. The total budget stands at DKK 6.65 billion.

The stakes are high. If the new treatment plant at Tangkrogen is not operational by 2036, Aarhus could be forced to discharge environmentally harmful wastewater into nature. And the city would lack capacity for new residents and businesses.