Mundus Nordic Green News – 29 January, 2021

SSAB ends talks with Tata Steel

During 4Q20, SSAB announced that it was in discussions with Tata Steel concerning a possible acquisition of the IJmuiden steel mill and related downstream assets. After deeper analysis, SSAB says it became clear that there were limited possibilities to integrate IJmuiden into the SSAB strategic framework (which is to become a climate neutral steel producer). Discussions with Tata Steel have therefore concluded. Martin Lindqvist, President and CEO at SSAB said “We have carefully evaluated Tata Steel IJmuiden and have concluded that an acquisition would be difficult for technical reasons. We cannot be sufficiently certain that we could implement our industrial plan with the preferred technical solutions as quickly as we would wish. We cannot align Tata Steel Ijmuiden with our sustainability strategy in the way desired”.

 

Volvo EV trucks to face biting Arctic cold in test of batteries

Kaunis Iron recently presented plans to electrify the iron ore mine in Pajala in collaboration with Vattenfall. The big challenge for Kaunis Iron is transport, as the ore needs to be transported 150 km by extremely heavy trucks to Pitkäjärvi where it is reloaded into trains. The company is now starting tests together with Volvo and ABB, where a vehicle will be tested in winter cold.

 

Kaunis iron has chosen battery-powered trucks over hydrogen or electrifying the stretch of road, which has also been investigated. Technology development in this area is very high. Extensive investments would be required to build an electric road. This is a more flexible solution", says Lars Wallgren, Logistics Manager at Kaunis Iron. Ebba Bergbom Wallin, Business Unit Manager for Electromobility at Volvo Trucks Sweden commented “We will not only evaluate the vehicle but the entire transport ecosystem. This is the first time we are testing a heavy electrified truck in Arctic cold, it will be incredibly exciting."

 

Freyr to list on NYSE via SPAC to save NOK 7.3 bn

Freyr, which plans for large-scale battery cell production at Mo i Rana says that it will take the back door into the New York Stock Exchange through merging with an already listed company, adding NOK 7.3 billion to the company. Freyr says it will merge with a specialty company (SPAC) called Alussa Energy Acquisition Corp, which is already listed on the New York Stock Exchange, and is set up to carry out M&A in the energy sector. This is a method that many other companies have chosen to get on the stock exchange, including hydrogen truck manufacturer Nikola. Freyr expects production in Mo i Rana to start during 2022, and then gradually step up. Investors include Koch Strategic Platforms, Glencore, Fidelity Management & Research Company LLC, Franklin Templeton, Van Eck Associates Corporation and Sylebra Capital.

 

Management reshuffle at Orsted

Mads Nipper replaced Henrik Poulsen as top manager in Ørsted on 1 January, has announced that he will reshuffle Orsted’s top management in connection with a reorganization of the business structure, preparing the company for the growth, by focusing on customers and markets, further strengthening the focus on our EPC and operating activities and supporting the upscaling of the organization. The reorganization means that the three existing business areas, Offshore, Onshore and Markets & Bioenergy, will be replaced by three new areas, Commercial, EPC & Operations and Onshore.

 

Hydro and Northvolt start construction of battery recycling

Hydrovolt, the JV between Norway’s Hydro, and Sweden’s Northvolt, has started construction of a recycling plant for batteries in Norway. The plant will be able to recycle more than 8,000 tonnes of modules from car batteries each year, with the possibility of expansion. The expected start of operations is towards the end of 2021. Hydrovolt will invest NOK 120 million in the recycling plant.

 

Aurelia Turbines can now run hydrogen

Finland’s Aurelia Turbines plans to start production of new turbines suitable for small-scale decentralized combined heat and power (CHP) and small and medium-sized industrial processes. The problem with using hydrogen fuel in conventional turbines has been that hydrogen gases burn too hot, melting the turbine parts. "We solved the problem by developing new technology together with DLR," (the German aerospace research centre) says Matti Malkamäki, CEO of Aurelia Turbines .

 

Inzile begins international expansion with office in Norway

Electric vehicle company Inzile has begun its international expansion, following its first customer, Bring which is owned by Norwegian Posten AS, said Sales and Marketing Manager Klas Åhgren. Inzile’s Pro4 is an electric light truck that has been developed with the aim of creating conditions for smart and fossil-free cities.

 

Climeon and Tomoe Engineering start cooperation in Japan

Climeon, a Swedish producer of heat power systems, converting waste heat and geothermal heat into clean electricity has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Tomoe Engineering to evaluate and establish a commercial model for a collaboration in Japan that will enable Tomoe Engineering to sell Climeon's technology to industrial customers.

 

Denmark’s SF Party wants to curb agricultural emissions

Danish agriculture accounts for up to a third of Danish greenhouse gas emissions - much of it indirect emissions from carbonaceous soils. Denmark’s Socialist People's Party (SF) is ready with a proposal for this year's climate negotiations - the party wants to reduce agricultural emissions by 4.3 Mt by 2025. SF chairman Pia Olsen Dyhr says “We do not want to close agriculture in Denmark. We are concerned with finding a balance - agriculture must be driven forward, but not driven out of the country". There are two elements to the proposal. Firstly, SF, wants the cows to regurgitate less methane via new feed types. And secondly, SF wants to accelerate the phase out of the so-called low-lying soils, where the soil is moist, black and has a high carbon content, getting rid of 100,000 hectares by 2025 - twice as much as the government thinks is possible.

 

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