Faroese government to take on billion-krona construction projects

The Faroese government will dissolve its central construction planning division and transfer responsibilities to individual ministries, a move that will force departments to act as both owners and contractors for major projects.

Landsverk, the national public works agency, will no longer handle construction tasks, leaving ministries to find their own solutions. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing will expand its Almannaverkið (Public Works) unit, while the Ministry of Health and Energy will rely on Sjúkrahúsverkið (Hospital Construction). The Ministry of Education will manage its own projects directly.

Almannaverkið has already hired Sigurð Ó. Vang as acting director to oversee construction matters, following the departure of a senior manager, according to Hjørdis S. Mortensen, director of Almannaverkið.

Jacob Vestergaard, Minister of Labour, announced the restructuring as a political decision to make ministries responsible for both ownership and execution of construction. He stated he had no confidence in Landsverk regarding construction issues.

The Ministry of Education will now take charge of the Campus construction project, estimated to exceed 1 billion kroner. J&K Petersen previously won the first phase with a 349 million kroner bid. Poul Geert Hansen, director of the Ministry of Education, hopes to secure parliamentary approval for the project by September or October, with work beginning shortly after. Design for the second phase, Frælsið 20 (the former Venjingarskúlin school), is expected to start around the new year.