4 February 2022
Swedish government releases national strategy for electrification
The Swedish Government announced an electrification strategy containing 67 measures to be implemented by 2023, including expansion of production, networks and increased energy efficiency. To increase production, the strategy mainly focuses on offshore wind power and not nuclear power. The Minister for Energy and Digital Development, Khashayar Farmanbar argues that as electrification increases, politics must take greater responsibility. “The market has almost taken care of itself until now,” but says that the strategy “is taking back the control” of electrification. “We will now carry out the largest electrification of our time” Farmanbar said at a press conference. The Government intends to seek broad support for the direction presented in the strategy among the parties in the parliament.
However, the strategy is not particularly concrete, writes Ny Teknik. It is more about pointing out the direction, giving authorities the task of developing proposals on how the electricity network and the charging infrastructure can be expanded, removing obstacles to the expansion of new electricity production and ensuring that the supply of electricity is available when needed. The Swedish Wind Association commented that it is positive that the Government decides on a new electrifying strategy where the Swedish electricity supply is highlighted as a competitive advantage, but that reforms and political action are needed now and not a debate on wind- or nuclear power.
Sweden uses most renewable fuel for vehicles in the EU
The proportion of renewable energy sources used in all types of transport in Sweden in 2020 was close to 32%, which is more than three times higher than the average in the EU and more than twice as high as Finland. No other country within the EU even comes close to Sweden when it comes to the propositions of renewable transport fuels, reports Europaportalen. The statistics come from a new report from Eurostat. The reason why Sweden is ranked in the top is because of the extensive use of biofuels, which is classified as renewable.
[Editor: While this may be a short-term success, the policy has delivered little so far in terms of local manufacturing and resulted in Swedish motorists paying amongst the highest prices in Europe. Essentially Sweden imports the vast majority of its biofuels demand]
New Northvolt factory to be in Gothenburg
Gothenburg has won the battle for the new battery factory that Northvolt and Volvo Cars will build for SEK 30 billion. The decision will lead to the creation of at least 3,000 new jobs, which makes Gothenburg a European centre for electric vehicle production. The construction of the factory will begin next year and is planned to be completed in 2025. It will produce battery cells specially developed for use in the next generation of electric cars from Volvo and Polestar. “Establishing this factory in Gothenburg is a crucial step, both to continue to transform one of the most dynamic vehicle regions in the world, and to become the leading global supplier of sustainable batteries,” writes Peter Carlsson, co-founder and CEO of Northvolt in a comment.
Nel wins contract for USD 5 million.
Nel's American subsidiary, Nel Hydrogen US, has received a contract for a PEM electrolyser and filling equipment worth five million dollars, or around NOK 43 million. The project will demonstrate several use cases for green hydrogen, including cooling of turbine generators, direct injection of hydrogen into a natural gas fuel stream at a plant, and for fueling a fleet of light duty fuel cell vehicles to be operated by the utility.
Tarkett to reduce emissions by 30%
Floor manufacturer Tarkett launches a new climate roadmap in line with the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C. By 2030, the company will reduce greenhouse gas emissions throughout the value chain by 30%. According to Arnaud Marquis, Group Sustainability Officer, “These targets are extremely challenging, as only 10% of our emissions are linked to our own manufacturing operations. The rest comes from the use of raw materials as well as the treatment and incineration of our products after use. Setting these goals for the entire value chain is a win-win situation.”
What we’re reading
- Germany’s traffic-light coalition signals new investment cycle (FDI Intelligence)
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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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