The ammunition factory becomes more expensive again: **"Not a good story for the Defence"**

Nearly three years have passed since the government announced that Denmark would once again produce gunpowder and bullets, yet there has still been no sign of progress.

The ammunition factory was supposed to be revived at a decommissioned facility in Elling, North Jutland, which, after renovation, should have been ready to produce within two years, according to Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen (V) in September 2023.

The facility was estimated to cost between 70 and 200 million Danish kroner to rebuild. But if it sounded too good to be true, it was.

In summer, the cost was raised to 883 million kroner because the buildings were found to be in worse condition than initially assumed.

Yesterday evening, the Defense Ministry revealed that an additional nearly 500 million kroner would be needed.

"Additional expenses of approximately 480 million kroner have been identified for buildings related to national ammunition production. These extra costs are primarily due to adjustments in building area to mitigate risks of detonation transfer, an additional firing range, infrastructure modifications, and the construction of new fences around the site, among other things," reads a press release.

The rising costs, now exceeding one billion kroner, have drawn criticism from Lisbeth Bech-Nielsen, the defense spokesperson for the Social Democrats (SF) and a member of the defense committee.

"It should have been obvious from the start," she says.

"The entire project has been marked by delays and cost overruns, and construction hasn’t even begun yet. This isn’t a good story for the Danish military," she adds.

The old ammunition factory in Elling was built in 1954, when the state produced ammunition until 2008, when a Spanish company took over. The company abandoned production four years ago due to losses.

The reason the price has kept rising is that the military initially believed they could simply adapt the old facilities. That’s what Nikolaj Rytgaard, a journalist at *Jyllands-Posten* who has closely followed the case, explains.

"It turned out not to be feasible at all. Instead, they’ve had to scrap the entire plan and build a completely new factory from scratch," he says.

Together with his colleagues at *Jyllands-Posten*, Nikolaj Rytgaard developed the "gunpowder clock" (https://jyllands-posten.dk/politik/ECE17798126/krudturet-tikker-saa-lang-tid-er-der-gaaet-uden-en-eneste-granat-er-blevet-lavet-paa-den-jyske-fabrik/), which tracks how many days, hours, and minutes have passed since the government first promised to produce gunpowder and bullets.

As of now, the clock shows 1,078 days, 19 hours, and three minutes.

And it will likely tick many more days. The list of projects at the old factory is long, he says.

"There may need to be more distance between the buildings, so if one explodes, the others won’t follow suit.

"There must be an additional firing range, neighbors will need to be expropriated, roads will have to be built between the different structures, a new fence will need to be installed around the property, and so on," he adds.

Buildings at the old ammunition factory in Elling near Frederikshavn. The factory was previously known as "Krudten" (The Gunpowder). (Photo: © Morten Lerkenfeldt Sørensen, DR)

According to Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen (V), it’s regrettable that the project has become more expensive.

"But I note that the additional costs can be covered within the allocated reserves," he states in the press release.

However, Lisbeth Bech-Nielsen from SF isn’t convinced by that.

"If you just set a large enough budget for every project, all cost overruns can be absorbed. But we still have a responsibility to ensure taxpayers’ money is well spent and to maintain trust in the rebuilding of the military—especially when projects like this keep going so wrong," she says.

Lisbeth Bech-Nielsen isn’t the only one criticizing the military. Several defense spokespeople in the committee share her frustration, as they were informed about the extra bill yesterday.

That’s what journalist Nikolaj Rytgaard from *Jyllands-Posten* reports.

"We feel like we’ve been taken hostage by a decision that initially sounded great but has now turned into something some have called a farce," he says.

A citizens' meeting in Elling in September 2025, where concerned residents questioned the new factory. (Photo: © Morten Lerkenfeldt Sørensen, DR)

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**"A joke"**

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The frustration isn’t limited to Christiansborg’s corridors. It’s also felt in Elling, where not all residents are thrilled about sharing their village with an ammunition factory.

"I actually think the whole thing is a bit of a joke," says Leif Thomsen, who lives near the factory and has attended several public meetings on the issue.

"I don’t find it reassuring to live somewhere where you can’t guarantee safety if something goes wrong. And at the same time, they say it’s no more dangerous than cycling. You can’t take that seriously when they say things like that," he adds.

Read also: Neighbors of ammunition factory may receive compensation: 'It doesn’t help much if an accident happens' (https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/naboer-til-ammunitionsfabrik-har-udsigt-til-erstatning-det-hjaelper-ikke-meget-hvis-uheldet-er-ude)

According to the Defense Ministry, some of the 480 million kroner will be used to expand the area so there’s enough distance between buildings in case one explodes.

But that doesn’t reassure Leif Thomsen.

"If they need to expand, they’ll just move closer to me," he says.

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**Safety zones at the Elling weapons factory**

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Safety Zone 1: No public roads, ports, or railways may be present.

Safety Zone 2: No private residences or buildings, or activities that attract outsiders, may be located here.

Safety Zone 3: No hospitals, schools, daycare centers, high-rise buildings, assembly halls, or similar facilities may be present.

Source: Danish Defense’s Establishment and Terrain Command

The military has designated three safety zones, outlining what can be located near the factory—such as roads, public institutions, and private homes.

Leif Thomsen lives 180 meters from Zone 2, where no private residences are allowed. However, he has little faith in the authorities’ calculations. That’s why he’d much rather move than live with the risk of an accident.

"They can only calculate what they *plan* might happen," he says.

The interviews with Lisbeth Bech-Nielsen (SF) and journalist Nikolaj Rytgaard were conducted on *P1 Morgen*. Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen (V) was also reached out to, referring back to his earlier comment in the press release (https://www.fmn.dk/da/nyheder/2026/merudgifter-til-bygninger-ved-national-ammunitionsproduktion-handteres-inden-for-afsatte-reserver/).

Warning: This article was translated by a Large Language Model, in case of doubt, you can always visit the original source.