After nearly a year of mystery stench complaints across northeast Amager, Copenhagen Municipality has named Copenhagen Oil Service as the likely culprit, but the company denies responsibility and the case remains unresolved.
Since April 2025, residents in northeast Amager have been breathing something foul. The smell has been described as gasoline, rotten eggs, burned plastic, and chemicals. Copenhagen Municipality has logged roughly 1,000 to 2,000 complaints depending on which count you trust. That is not a handful of cranky neighbors. That is a neighborhood problem.
I have lived in Copenhagen long enough to know that Amager gets complicated fast. The island mixes residential blocks with industrial zones, and Prøvestenen sits right in that overlap. It is a harbor area where fuel handling and logistics operations run next to apartments. When something smells wrong, figuring out the source becomes a legal and bureaucratic puzzle, not just an environmental one.
What the Municipality Found
Copenhagen Municipality has now issued a formal order to Copenhagen Oil Service, a company operating fuel storage tanks on Kasematvej at Prøvestenen. According to the order, officials believe emissions from one or more of the company’s tanks are behind the complaints. The municipality says the odor has been detected during multiple inspections and at distances up to 200 meters from the facility.
This is the first time a specific company has been named after nearly 12 months of investigation. For residents who have been closing windows and wondering whether the air is safe, that attribution matters. It turns a vague neighborhood mystery into something officials are willing to enforce.
The Company Pushes Back
Copenhagen Oil Service disputes the conclusion. The company says it believes another source in the area is more likely responsible for the odor. At the same time, COS acknowledges it cannot currently document that alternative explanation. The company has said it will try to comply with the municipality’s requirements even though it disagrees with the accusation.
That hedged response is telling. COS is not offering proof of innocence, just doubt about guilt. The problem is that Prøvestenen contains multiple industrial operations, so proving a single source is harder than it sounds. The company has four weeks after the order is published on the Danish Environmental Protection Agency’s website to appeal, which means this dispute may drag on.
Why This Matters for Expats
For expats living in or near Amager, this case is a reminder that clean air is not guaranteed just because you live in Copenhagen. The smell has reportedly reached apartments even with windows closed. That affects daily livability, housing decisions, and whether you feel comfortable raising kids in a neighborhood.
Municipal authorities handle odor and pollution complaints in Denmark, not national ministries. If you do not speak Danish fluently, navigating that system can be frustrating. But the municipality’s complaint page for Prøvestenen shows residents have been documenting time, location, and odor type, and that data has fed into the investigation.
What Happens Next
The appeal window means nothing will be resolved quickly. If COS contests the order, the case will move into a formal administrative process that could take months. Residents who rent nearby should consider notifying landlords if odors affect livability. Prospective renters should treat this as part of due diligence when considering Amager harbor areas.
The bigger question is whether Copenhagen can balance industrial activity with residential quality of life. Prøvestenen is not going to stop being a working harbor. But nearly 2,000 complaints suggest the balance has tipped. The municipality has acted, but the company denies fault, and residents are still waiting for air they can breathe without worry.
