14 December 2022
New Danish Government wants Denmark climate neutral by 2045
Denmark’s new SVM government plans to raise the country’s climate ambitions, according to Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen during the presentation of the government's foundations. She says that Denmark plans to be climate-neutral by 2045, against the previous target of 2050. In addition, Denmark has set a new target to reduce its CO2 emissions by 110% by 2050 compared to 1990. Frederiksen said Denmark will also introduce an aviation tax, with an average price of DKK 100. At the same time, Denmark must have a green domestic aviation route by 2025 and all domestic aviation must be green by 2030. The Social Democrats, leftists and moderates also agreed to a CO2 tax on agriculture. The government will also set up a National Energy Crisis Task Force (NEKST), to ensure that Denmark reduces gas consumption as much as possible and accelerates the construction of solar cells and wind turbines. The government also wants to create 25,000 hectares of new forests across the country. Denmark will also become more independent of Russian natural gas faster by accelerating the process of establishing renewable energy sources.
Via.ritzau, klimamonitor, kobenhavnliv
Nature Energy and Énergir invest billions of dollars in Canada
Nature Energy, recently acquired by Shell, will invest around DKK 7 billion over the next few years to build up to 10 biogas plants in Quebec together with Énergir, Quebec's leading natural gas company. This is Nature Energy's largest investment abroad to date. Together, Nature Energy and Énergir will develop, build and operate biogas plants that will provide 200 million cubic metres of biogas per year, equivalent to one third of Quebec's 2030 carbon reduction target.
Swedish energy companies cooperate to electrify heavy transport faster
If Sweden is to meet its climate targets by 2045, heavy transport needs to be fossil fuel-free. That's why three major energy companies, Mälarenergi, Öresundskraft and Jönköping Energi, have now joined forces to form Gito Heavy Charging Solutions AB. The goal is to create a leading national player in heavy-duty vehicle charging, with a focus on depot and destination charging. They have invested SEK 300 million in the company over three years. All three companies have extensive experience in energy systems and charging infrastructure, a necessity for electrification, and are located in some of the most logistically dense areas of Sweden. The cooperation at Gito will provide advantages for carriers that often operate across regions. Today, the three energy companies have eight heavy-duty vehicle charging stations on transport routes and hubs in Västerås, Jönköping and Helsingborg that are either in operation or under construction. These stations will be transferred to Gito as soon as possible. 2023 will see the company expand its charging infrastructure and build more heavy-duty transport charging stations in locations that are important to customers. The focus will be primarily on private and semi-public charging stations at warehouses and transport destinations in central and southern Sweden.
Hynion opens hydrogen refuelling station in Gothenburg
After a long construction and review by the certification body and the Gothenburg Rescue Service, Hynion has finally been allowed to operate the station in Gothenburg. The official opening will take place on December 20. To ensure a good development of hydrogen users in Gothenburg, Hynion will build station 2 in the city as part of the EU co-funded GREATER4H project. The station, which is expected to be completed in the first half of 2024, is being built to serve the expected increase in truck traffic on the Hamburg-Oslo route, but it will also service local and domestic traffic.
Skanska and Celsa Nordic collaborate to develop steel reinforcement with low climate impact
Skanska and Celsa Nordic have signed an Intent to Cooperate agreement to reduce the climate impact of steel bars in construction projects through fossil-free production methods and increased recycling of residual materials. Skanska thus becomes the first customer to receive Celsa Nordic's round steel bar Green Hydro Steel, produced using innovative hydrogen technology. Cooperation with material suppliers is important for Skanska Sweden's climate footprint, as approximately 80% of the company's CO2 emissions come from purchased construction materials, of which approximately 10% are related to steel production. The final agreement will be signed in 2024, with the goal of starting deliveries in early 2025. It is also Celsa Nordic's intention to use scrap and waste from Skanska Sweden's construction projects as input for its production. Finally, the two companies will cooperate in the delivery of materials with low climate impact and study the possible use of residual products manufactured by Celsa Nordic in Skanska's Swedish operations.
Alfa Laval supports refinery transition to biofuels
Alfa Laval has entered into an agreement with a subsidiary of U.S.-based renewable fuels and refined petroleum company CVR Energy, Inc. to supply process systems for raw material pretreatment. This is part of a strategic investment in the refinery that supports CVR's expansion into renewable biofuels production. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), replacing fossil fuels with biofuels is one of the main ways to reduce CO2 emissions from the transportation sector. In a "net zero emissions by 2050" scenario, biofuels are expected to account for 64% of the sector's renewable energy consumption by 2030.
Power-to-X plant to provide green district heating to the citizens of Aabenraa
European Energy has reached an agreement with Aabenraa Fjernvarme to obtain waste heat from the future electronic methanol plant at Kassø in Aabenraa Municipality. The plant will heat a total of 3,300 homes, meaning that more climate-friendly and cheap district heating will enter the heating network. The e-methanol plant will be directly connected to the largest solar park in Northern Europe, Kasso, and will therefore partially use locally produced green electricity. The location of the facility means that Aabenraa Fjernvarme will build a heating line to the facility close to the Kassø substation.
Finland and the Brussels Region of Belgium sign agreement on the transfer of renewable energy statistics
The EU's Renewable Energy Directive sets an overall binding Union target, according to which the share of energy from renewable sources must account for at least 32% of the Union's total energy consumption by 2030. EU Member States can also achieve their renewable energy targets through statistical transfers, whereby countries agree on the amount of shares to be transferred and the purchase price. According to the Directive, the entry into force of the transfer is conditional on all participating Member States notifying the European Commission of the transfer.
Thus, recently, Finland and the Brussels Region agreed on a statistical transfer under the EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED II). Finland will transfer the realised surplus of its 2021 renewable energy targets to Belgium, with the volume of the statistical transfer being 132 GWh and the purchase price of EUR 1.65 million.
Helen increases wind power investment again
Helen is building a 145 MW wind farm in Pieksämäki together with Ålandsbanken Tuulivoima Erikoisijoitusrahasto and OX2. Niinimäki Wind Farm will have 22 wind turbines and is the largest wind farm in eastern Finland. It is expected to generate more than 400 GWh of electricity per year, which is equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of more than 80,000 households. Construction of the Niinimäki wind farm will start immediately and is expected to be completed by the end of 2024. OX2 is responsible for the construction of the wind farm and its technical and financial management. This is already the fourth joint investment in wind power by Helen and the Ålandsbanken Tuulivoima Special Investment Fund.
Plan to build a 30-turbine wind farm on the border of Kuopio and Terw
The wind power company Wpd Finland wants to build a wind farm on the border between Kuopio and Terw. The company has submitted a zoning plan to the municipality of Kuopio in order to prepare a thematic master plan.
What we’re reading
- EU ministers delay gas price cap deal for second time (Financial Times)
- World’s first carbon border tax lands in Europe (Politico)
- EU settlement on "carbon tax" (almost) done - a progress report on "Fit for 55" (Magnus Nilsson blog)
- Energy crisis threatens reversal of French market reforms (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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