13 December 2022
Electricity crisis causes Swedish Government to temporarily suspend review of environmental permits for hydropower
In the Tidö Agreement, the Swedish Government, together with the Sweden Democrats, state that the re-examination of environmental permits for hydropower must be suspended until it has been determined which consequences the re-examination will have for the country’s electricity production. The purpose of the re-examination of the environmental permits for hydropower is to ensure a good environment for the flora and fauna of Sweden's waterways. During a press conference on 12 December, the Government announced that the suspension will last for 12 months. Applications that would have been submitted on 1 February 2023 must instead be submitted on 1 February 2024. All later dates are also pushed forward one year and the change in regulations will enter into force on 30 January 2023.
Tn, branschaktuellt, SVT Nyheter
H&M group signs a PPA with Neoen and Alight for a new solar park
Neoen, a producer of exclusively renewable energy, and Alight, a Swedish solar developer and independent power producer in Europe, announced the signing of a power purchase agreement (PPA) with H&M Group. This is the largest solar PPA contracted in Sweden to date. Under the long-term agreement, the solar park, located in Hultsfred, Sweden, will provide H&M with local renewable energy and guarantees of origin, putting the company one step closer to its goal to only source renewable electricity. Jointly developed and owned by Neoen (the majority shareholder) and Alight, the project will have a total capacity of at least 90 MWp (megawatts at peak). It will be built using low-carbon photovoltaic panels to be installed around the runway of Hultsfred airport, in the south-east of Sweden. Construction is planned for the second half of 2023, with commissioning to follow in 2025.
Several projects underway for the development of renewable textile fibres in Finland
There is a huge global demand for sustainably produced textile fibres. More than 100 million tonnes of textile fibres are produced worldwide every year, mainly from synthetic fibres based on oil and gas, many textiles are also made from cotton. Several projects are therefore underway in Finland to develop renewable textile fibres based on different technologies. Finnish industrial developers are therefore seeking to produce wood textile fibres, which is based on the use of so-called soluble pulp. When textile fiber production is integrated into a bioproduct factory, the pulp does not need to be dried, which saves energy.
Enerpoly raises SEK 15 million to develop zinc batteries
Stingalumnin Enerpoly has recently closed its seed funding round, raising SEK 15 million. Enerpoly's patented technology mostly uses cost-effective raw material zinc, which can be extracted in Sweden and Europe. As Europe is lagging behind China and the USA in securing raw material supplies for energy and transport systems, the company’s zinc technology can therefore support Europe by contributing to the strategic autonomy and sustainability of its green energy systems. Enerpoly's aim with this investment round is to fund pilot projects for its battery technology with a view to entering a fast-growing market. The pilots are taking place in Sweden, Europe and globally with innovators in sustainable energy storage, including Polarium, who were one of the first companies to use lithium batteries in the telecommunications industry. The pilots are expected to start in 2023.
Borlänge Energi is investing in large-scale batteries
Borlänge Energi is investing in an energy storage system in the form of a battery with the aim of keeping the electricity grid in balance. The battery will provide frequency regulation to the Swedish state-owned grid operator Svenska Kraftnät and thus support the energy transition towards more renewable energy sources. The investment is worth SEK 50 million, but is expected to be repaid after only a few years. The battery will be located in the area around the Bäckelund cogeneration plant in Borlänge and is expected to be operational in autumn 2023, followed by a month-long test run for Svenska Kraftnät.
TECO 2030 signs supplier cooperation agreement with SinoHyKey
TECO 2030 has entered into a strategic partnership with SinoHyKey (SHK), who will supply one of the key components of TECO 2030's fuel cell system, MEA, to decarbonise marine transportation. This collaboration has already sparked off and is expected to continue if key milestones in development are successfully achieved. Meanwhile, TECO 2030 has recently announced the progress of several projects. Norway's Implenia has ordered an 800 kW HydroPilot container with the option to increase power capacity up to 1.6 MW. In addition, the TECO 2030 HydroPilot project, valued at NOK 20 million, is supported by ENOVA and is scheduled for delivery in 3Q23. Another project is the announced HyEkoTank, for which TECO 2030, Shell and partners have secured EUR 5 million from Horizon Europe. HyEkoTank aims to retrofit a product tanker with a 2.4 MW fuel cell during 2024 to achieve zero emission port operations and achieve up to 100% emission reductions.
bp, Mainstream Renewable Power and Statkraft sign partnership agreement with Windport
bp, Mainstream Renewable Power and Statkraft have signed an agreement with Windport in Mandal to develop and locate the port for future offshore wind development. bp, Mainstream and Statkraft are working together to develop offshore wind power in the Southern North Sea II (SN2). In addition to the partners' commitment to facilitate the development and operation of Windport's offshore wind power, the agreement includes a 'charter of cooperation' which is unique in terms of developing the port's local subcontractors and strengthening its competitive advantage. The agreement will help to increase the focus on cost optimisation and innovative development of the port, while also enhancing the port's ability to serve the global offshore wind industry.
Esbjerg Shipping orders next generation super hybrid CTVs
The experience of the first generation of electric hybrid vessels will be carried forward in two new vessels, which will become more flexible platforms for the development of electric-based potential CO2-neutral operation in the CTV (Crew Transfer Vessel) sector. MHO&Co has ordered two electric hybrid CTVs worth EUR 17 million from the AFAI South shipyard in China, from which Esbjerg in 2021 received two 35m CTVs 'MHO Asgard' and 'MHO Apollo' with capacity for 24 turbine technicians.
Obton launches new battery fund
Severe climate change and the current energy crisis have triggered massive investments in renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. This is a positive development in itself, but it also poses a growing challenge to grids that pump in large amounts of renewable energy, which are dependent on wind and weather. However, there is a solution to alleviate some of the problems of grid overload, and that's where Obton finds battery parks to be a new and attractive business opportunity. As the first of its kind in Denmark, Obton has introduced a new investment concept, the battery fund Obton Dynamic, which Danish investors can buy into. Obton Dynamic provides Danish investors with an alternative investment fund that will own and operate three large battery parks in Germany. “It’s a market with huge potential,” said CEO Anders Markus.
Okto Grid receives DKK 22 million for digitising Europe’s electricity grid
Danish startup Okto Grid has received DKK 22 million from the Energy and Environmental Data Foundation, Elewit and Rockstart to digitise Europe's ageing electricity grid. To avoid failures caused by wear and tear and to extend the life of transformers by another 40 years, Okto Grid has developed a solution to help the energy industry digitise assets in a simple way without taking critical assets out of service. This allows energy distributors and even energy producers to measure changes in conditions, anomalies and track asset performance in greater detail than any other solution previously available on the market.
Metsä Board again receives best A-list in CDP's climate change, water security and forestry projects
The global environmental non-profit organisation CDP has awarded Metsä Board (part of the Metsä Group), recognition for its leading sustainability work. Metsä Board has been ranked in the prestigious A-list in all three of the CDP's environmental themes of climate change, water security and forest protection. Out of nearly 15,000 companies, only 12 companies made all three A-lists. The ratings are based on data from the CDP’s 2022 climate change, forest and water security surveys. This is the second year in a row that Metsä Board has made the CDP's three-A list.
What we're reading
- Germany’s gas savings are too low, agency chief warns (Euractiv)
- Nordic clean-tech takes on the world with export finance (EKN Online)
- G7 establishes Climate Club to support green transition (Reuters)
- European wind turbine manufacturers face tough 2023 (Financial Times)
About Nordic Green News
The Nordic countries are some of the most dynamic and successful economies in the world. They are also leaders in sustainability, from renewable energy, biofuels, carbon capture and storage and the hydrogen economy, circular economy business models and battery development, the Nordics are pioneers in policy design, technology development and consumer uptake. Mundus Nordic Green News is covering this transition for the international community. Every day we curate the stories of most relevance to international businesspeople and policy experts from the flow of news. Mundus Nordic Green Indices summarise the meta-data from our daily coverage to enable easy tracking of trends. We supplement these with our own opinion pieces and commentary.
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