ODSHERRED: The chairman of Odsherred Forsyning, city council member Mathias Hansen (V), resigned from the chairmanship on Tuesday, he informed Sjællandske Nyheder.
The chairman is the third politician to have resigned from the board of the utility company in a short time in continuation of a case about serious financial problems in a district heating project.
Approx. 2,500 properties in southern Odsherred are to be converted from natural gas to district heating, but serious errors were found in the calculations of a former CFO, who was also acting CEO of the company from December 2022 to July 2023.
The CFO was initially fired in January. This was shortly afterwards changed to an expulsion, on the grounds that he had violated the company's internal guidelines. In March, a legal investigation was launched into the former CFO's actions in the case, and a police report was filed.
The economy has slipped
Already in March, the now-retired chairman of Odsherred Forsyning noted that the board of directors had not been presented with the real economic basis of the project and that the tariffs would increase.
The construction costs were initially estimated at 950 million kroner. kr., but has been adjusted upwards in two rounds, so that they now stand at 1.6 billion kr.
According to Mayor Karina Vincentz (Nyt Odsherred), a rescue plan must be put together, and a municipal guarantee of 576 million kroner will be triggered in this connection. The problems in the utility company will have an impact on the municipality's finances.
- It is clear that it will cost some money, and that is why we are already starting to make some savings catalogues for budget 2025, she says to Sjællandske Nyheder.
She emphasizes that a solution must be found to prevent the utility company from going bankrupt. Initially, an extraordinary general meeting will be called in Odsherred Forsyning, so that new members can be elected to the board.
In the meantime, the project to convert properties from natural gas to district heating is on hold, according to Odsherred Forsyning, which earlier this month decided to suspend all capital investments in its subsidiary Odsherred Varme.
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