Aalborg Municipality, in close collaboration with Port of Aalborg and Aalborg Utilities (Aalborg Forsyning), has allocated 243 hectares of land for the industrial park, with the potential for expansion to a total of 497 hectares. The area spans both sides of the Limfjord at East Port and Norbis Park, offering a unique industrial infrastructure with direct access to port facilities, motorway, railway and airport. There is space here for Power-to-X, carbon capture, storage and utilisation (CCUS), wind industry, logistics, circular production, and more.

By becoming a national industrial park, Aalborg will be part of the new ‘red-carpet scheme,’ ensuring faster and more streamlined permitting for manufacturing companies. This means businesses will have a single point of contact throughout the approval process, shorter processing times, a coordinated project plan with milestones, and access to guidance on EU regulation. The scheme aims to make it easier and more predictable to establish or scale up green production in Denmark – for both Danish and international companies.

All companies located within the industrial park’s boundaries will benefit from the scheme, regardless of size or investment level. This gives Aalborg a unique advantage in ensuring efficient case handling, including permit processes, for businesses within the industrial park area.

Aalborg Mayor Lasse Frimand Jensen, says: 'I am both pleased and proud that Aalborg is now one of Denmark’s 11 national industrial parks. We build on a strong industrial heritage and use it as a springboard to create the framework for the green production of the future. With this new model, we gain speed and transparency in the permitting processes – which is crucial if we are to attract and retain companies in tough global competition. At the same time, we know it can be challenging for manufacturing companies to find suitable land with the right infrastructure. As a national industrial park, we stand stronger in the competition for green production and new jobs – and this designation makes Aalborg even more attractive for companies looking to invest in future green solutions.’

There is already significant commercial interest in the new industrial park in Aalborg. Aalborg Industrial Park has received letters of support from more than 25 stakeholders including Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (PtX), EWII, Fidelis, Aalborg Portland A/S and Siemens Gamesa. Their planned investments alone amount to more than DKK 10 billion and are expected to create 1,500 new jobs in energy technology and green manufacturing.

At East Port, Port of Aalborg is already expanding capacity for the new industrial park through the acquisition of adjacent land. Infrastructure is also being further strengthened – including a substantial increase in quayside capacity with a brand-new quay facility now under construction.

‘Our current capacity and future expansion potential represent a significant competitive advantage – not only nationally but internationally. With Aalborg Industrial Park and the associated benefits of one-stop-shop support and faster approvals, Aalborg becomes an even more natural choice for companies wishing to establish new production facilities in our growing logistics hub,’ says Kristian Thulesen Dahl, CEO of Port of Aalborg. ‘We are already a strong wind port with major international companies such as Siemens Gamesa, CS WIND Offshore, and several suppliers to the wind industry. Moreover, Aalborg is well on its way to becoming a leading player in carbon capture, storage and utilisation through several projects taking shape in and around Aalborg Industrial Park.’

Aalborg has rapidly developed into a central hub for CCUS technologies, with a wide range of companies, networks and research institutions collaborating on solutions for carbon capture, utilisation and storage. These include plans for a large-scale carbon capture facility at Aalborg Portland A/S via the ACCSION project, a carbon capture plant at Nordværk, CO₂ import and interim storage at Norne’s planned reception facility, and the production of green aviation fuel through Fjord PtX with Aalborg Utilities.

North of the fjord in Norbis Park, Aalborg Utilities is establishing next-generation infrastructure and test facilities. Aalborg Utilities is working together with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) on the Fjord PtX project, to be located in Norbis Park. Fjord PtX aims to produce eSAF (synthetic Sustainable Aviation Fuel) and is expected to become one of Europe’s largest production plants.

‘Our vision is for Aalborg to be a beacon for the development of future green technologies and sustainable utility systems, and Aalborg Industrial Park strongly supports that vision. By making it smooth and straightforward for companies to test new green solutions in real-world settings, we will not only create growth and development locally, but also play a crucial role in the green transition nationally and internationally. A strong example is the Fjord PtX project, which Aalborg Utilities is part of, as it will give district-heating customers access to green surplus heat at attractive prices,’ says Jesper Høstgaard-Jensen, acting CEO of Aalborg Utilities.

Fjord PtX could act as a catalyst for a new PtX industry in Aalborg and strengthen Denmark’s position in eSAF production. eSAF is aircraft fuel produced using renewable electricity, CO₂ and technical water – and is recognised by industry and the EU as one of the most important contributors to the aviation sector’s transition to more sustainable energy sources.

‘Fjord PtX plans to develop one of Europe’s most advanced refineries for eSAF production in Norbis Park. We have worked closely with Aalborg Municipality over the past three years, including with Nordværk and Aalborg Utilities, and the announcement of Aalborg as a national industrial park with a ‘red-carpet scheme’ is therefore important news. Fjord PtX has the potential to act as a catalyst for a new industry in the area, and the establishment of the industrial park creates strong conditions for more green technology companies to follow,’ says Tanguy Cosmao, project director for Fjord PtX.