17 February 2023

Today's Top Nordic Green News:

• Ørsted signs agreement with Carbon Clean for CO2 capture
• GreenIron attracts big name investors
• Vestas boss lashes out at "cowardly politicians"

Ørsted signs agreement with Carbon Clean for CO2 capture

Danish energy company Ørsted, has signed a contract with UK's Carbon Clean for the supply of equipment for carbon dioxide capture at its e-methanol plant FlagshipONE, located in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. Carbon Clean's technology will be capable of capturing 70,000 tonnes of CO2 annually from a nearby cogeneration plant and reusing the captured biogenic carbon dioxide with renewable hydrogen to generate green and fossil-free e-methanol. FlagshipONE will deliver 50,000 tonnes of e-methanol annually to the shipping industry.

Energinyheter

GreenIron attracts big name investors

GreenIron, a Swedish start-up that has developed a cheaper, smaller and less energy-intensive method for producing fossil-free steel, has received investments worth SEK100m ($10m) from a range of big-name investors. These include the state-owned Almi Invest Greentech fund, as well as Vestas chairman Bert Nordberg and former Electrolux CEO Hans Stråberg. Wallenberg Foundations (FAM) contributed SEK50m to the round, having previously invested the same amount in H2 Green Steel. Former Ericsson manager and BP chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg also participated. GreenIron’s oven, which can fit in a living room, can produce 40,000 tons of steel annually. In comparison, other green steel projects in Sweden aim to produce  2 million tonnes per year. GreenIron CEO, Edward Murray does not want to compete with Hybrit or H2 Green Steel - rather he aims to reuse various types of residual waste from steel production, such as slag and iron-containing dust particles.

SvD Näringsliv

Vestas boss lashes out at "cowardly politicians"

Politicians are too concerned with setting long-term targets for emission cuts rather than implementing difficult measures in the short term that are necessary for the green shift - Vestas CEO Henrik Andersen thundered at the Oslo Energy Forum, taking aim specifically at politicians in Denmark, Norway and Spain.

Montel

Volvo CE invests in production of battery packs in Korea

Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) is investing SEK 80 million in battery pack manufacturing at its excavator factory in Changwon, South Korea. The investment will enable the factory to start producing a wide range of battery pack solutions, marking the ambition to drive an industry transformation towards sustainable solutions. This move is another step forward in Volvo CE's ambition to become fossil-free, with 35% of machines sold to be electric by 2030. The new production facility will be built inside the current component workshop in Changwon and construction work will begin in April 2023, with battery pack production expected to start in June 2024.

Nordiska Projekt

Statnett recommends new offshore wind at Bergen and Greenland

New areas for offshore wind should be opened in connection with the Bergen area and Greenland area, Statnett recommends, as these are areas with large power needs and capacity in the grid.

Montel

Solør Bioenergi buys Ringerike Bioenergi AS

Solør Bioenergi, a renewable energy company in Norway and Sweden, has acquired Ringerike Bioenergi, which owns and operates a district heating plant in Helgelandsmoen. The plant supplies Helgelandsmoen Næringspark with approximately 4 GWh of renewable bioheat annually, and Solør Bioenergi plans to further develop the business in cooperation with the business park and local authorities. Solør Bioenergi is a leading player in renewable energy based on wood fuels, with 271 locations in Sweden and Norway where they produce and distribute district heating, steam, and electricity to homes, companies, public businesses, and industries.

Press release

What we’re reading

• Why World Bank head’s resignation is good news for climate crisis fight (The Guardian)

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