16 February 2023
Today's Top Nordic Green News:
- Swedish government approves large Kriegers Flak wind farm
- Deep Wind Offshore entered into a JV with BP for 4 projects totaling 6GW in South Korea
- Sweden’s Government confirms electricity price support for industry
- Sweden's electricity needs forecast to increase by 175% by 2045
- Minesto's expansion is proceeding according to plan
- Hexicon enters into partnership with IX Wind to develop floating wind in Taiwan
- Halland Region greenlights grid expansion
- Indutecc chooses Nilar for energy storage
- New GE synchronous compensator for Fingrid to balance wind power fluctuations in the electricity grid
- European Energy to supply e-methanol to Korean shipping HMM
- EU Commission gives the green light to Danish PtX tendering
- Sweden’s Riksdag to host an inter-parliamentary conference on circular bioeconomy
- Swedish authorities tasked with mapping the consequences for re-examination of hydropower
- Sweden considers selling negative emissions generated with government support to bio-CCS
Swedish government approves large Kriegers Flak wind farm
The Swedish government has given Vattenfall the green light to lay underwater cables for the Kriegers Flak wind farm project, which will include 35-50 wind turbines that will be 280 metres high. The wind farm is estimated to be able to produce around 2.6 TWh per year, equivalent to electricity for around 500,000 homes. The project is expected to be operational in 2028. The government's approval comes with several conditions, including taking into account the marine environment and any archaeological remains on the seabed. The decision follows a long permitting process, and the government is reviewing how the permit process for different types of energy production can be expedited. Although the government has dropped support for the expansion of offshore wind power, meaning wind power companies will have to pay for their own operations, the Minister of Climate and Environment, Romina Pourmokhtari, does not believe that this will prevent the project from proceeding. Seven other offshore wind projects are awaiting Government approval. However, earlier this week, Vattenfall’s CEO, Anna Borg, ford a shot across the bow of governments citing a "a big risk" that investments will slow down.
Svenska Dagbladet, Energiwatch
Deep Wind Offshore entered into a JV with BP for 4 projects totaling 6GW in South Korea
Norway’s Deep Wind Offshore has entered into a strategic partnership with BP, a major international energy company, in South Korea to jointly pursue the opportunity for offshore wind projects in the country. The partnership will leverage the strengths of both companies to develop, construct and operate potential offshore wind projects, contributing to the Korean Government's target of 12 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030. Deep Wind Offshore is a joint venture between renewable energy developer EDP Renewables and Japanese industrial group Kawasaki Heavy Industries.
Sweden’s Government confirms electricity price support for industry
The Swedish government has decided to provide targeted support to electricity-intensive companies that have been hit hard by high electricity prices, which have increased their production costs. The support, which will be managed by the Swedish Energy Agency, is based on the companies' actual costs for purchased electricity and is designed to help them cope with the ongoing energy crisis. Eligible companies will receive compensation for half of their eligible costs, up to a maximum of 20 million Swedish kronor, provided that the support amounts to at least 50,000 kronor. The support is expected to come into effect on March 6, 2023, and is intended to help these companies maintain their competitiveness and continue their green transition.
Sweden's electricity needs forecast to increase by 175% by 2045
Sweden's electricity needs will increase to 330 TWh by 2045, according to a new report from Energiföretagen. That is 20 TWh more than previous scenarios showed, and an amazing 199TWh more than Sweden consumed in 2021. In order to expand the electricity system to that extent, faster permit processes, more modern legislation and increased acceptance are required, according to Energiföretagen's CEO Åsa Pettersson.
Minesto's expansion is proceeding according to plan
Minesto, a Swedish marine energy technology company, is on track with the expansion of its tidal energy park project. The company announced that it has successfully installed the first two of its tidal energy converters in the project's second phase. The converters are now undergoing commissioning and power production testing, which is expected to continue for the next few months. Minesto plans to gradually deploy additional tidal energy converters in the coming months, with the aim of completing the project's second phase by the end of 2023. The project is located in the Faroe Islands and is expected to have a total capacity of 200 kilowatts upon completion.
Hexicon enters into partnership with IX Wind to develop floating wind in Taiwan
Hexicon has partnered with global consulting and EPC company IX Wind to develop and build floating offshore wind projects in Taiwan. The collaboration includes project management, consultancy and services for building construction; and concerns a project of 1,300 MW and.
Halland Region greenlights grid expansion
The regional board in Halland has given the green light to sell 17 hectares of land that will be used to build a larger station that receives and forwards the electricity from future offshore wind farms. The plan is for it to be in place in 2028. "You gain headspace to connect to even more facilities," says Staffan Johansson, strategist at Region Halland. There are 3 wind farms planned off Halland's coast, with a total capacity of over 14 TWh, or 10% of Sweden’s current demand.
Indutecc chooses Nilar for energy storage
Nilar International AB has begun a new collaboration with Indutecc Renewable Solutions, part of the Dutch industrial Schuurman Group. The long-term collaboration involves the development of smart energy storage solutions for larger industries and commercial properties. For Nilar, the agreement means that the company can offer competitive and smart energy storage solutions to prioritised market segments together with selected partners.
In a first stage, Indutecc and Nilar will start a development project to test and integrate the battery into Indutecc's own energy storage solutions. In addition, Indutecc acquires a number of energy systems from Enequi where Nilar's batteries are already integrated, with the aim of selling around thirty ready-made solutions as early as 2023.
New GE synchronous compensator for Fingrid to balance wind power fluctuations in the electricity grid
Destia has been selected by Fingrid to implement Finland's first synchronous compensator. The synchronous compensator stabilises the voltage and frequency of the electrical grid, which can become unstable due to the concentration and growth of wind power on the west coast of Finland. Destia will undertake the construction engineering work, implementation, and connection to the network, as well as the design and system implementation. GE Steam Power will supply Destia with generator and flywheel control and control systems for the synchronous compensator.
European Energy to supply e-methanol to Korean shipping HMM
Denmark’s European Energy has signed a MoU with HMM Co Ltd (HMM) to supply methanol to the Korean shipping company's newly-ordered green vessels. European Energy is building a facility in Denmark to produce 32,000 tonnes of e-methanol per year, while HMM has ordered nine dual-fuel container vessels for deployment on trade lanes between Asia and North/Latin America and Asia and India. The vessels are expected to be delivered between 2025 and 2026. The partnership aims to establish a green methanol supply chain for HMM's fleet.
EU Commission gives the green light to Danish PtX tendering
A Danish Power-to-X tender of DKK 1.25 billion can now become a reality after the EU Commission has approved the Danish state's Power-to-X plans. According to Green Power Denmark, the offer is a good start, but not sufficient to ensure that we reach our Power-to-X objectives
Sweden’s Riksdag to host an inter-parliamentary conference on circular bioeconomy
On February 20, the Swedish parliament will host a digital conference on circular bioeconomy, bringing together parliamentarians from EU countries and the European Parliament to discuss challenges and solutions in transitioning to a circular bioeconomy. The conference is part of the Swedish EU presidency's parliamentary dimension, which includes eight conferences and meetings during the presidency period. The conference will discuss the role of circular bioeconomy in achieving the European Green Deal, the need for circular business models, and progress in implementing the EU's 2018 bioeconomy strategy. The conference can be viewed live and on demand via the Swedish parliament's web TV.
Swedish authorities tasked with mapping the consequences for re-examination of hydropower
In January, Sweden’s Government decided to pause the review of the hydropower plant's environmental permits for 12 months. Before the review continues, the government has tasked Svenska kraftnät, Sweden’s grid operator, with the Energy Agency and the Maritime and Water Authority to map the consequences for the electricity system that a review of hydropower may entail.
Sweden considers selling negative emissions generated with government support to bio-CCS
Energumyndigheten (the Swedish Energy Agency) has proposed that whoever receives government support for bioenergy and carbon capture and storage (bio-CCS) should have the opportunity to sell negative emissions on a voluntary carbon market (VCM), with the units counted towards achieving Sweden's national climate goals.
What we’re reading
- David Malpass: World Bank leader who was called climate denier quits (BBC)
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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