Kemira and Öresundskraft began cooperating on the residual heat from Kemira in Helsingborg, Sweden 40 years ago. The results of the cooperation have been identified in two separate studies, and the picture is very clear. The partnership has strengthened the competitiveness of the companies, reduced emissions, and had major regional economic effects.

The cooperation began in 1974, when the hot water from the then Boliden Kemi began pumping out of the Helsingborg district heating network. Prior to that, the heat had just cooled off in Öresund. For Helsingborgs Kommunala Affärsverk (Helsingborg’s Municipal Enterprises), which Öresundskraft was then called, the additional heating was very welcome. The oil crises of 1974 and 1979 caused the price of oil to sky-rocket, and the residual heat was a first step in moving away from oil dependence.

Reduced emissions and lower district heating prices

In addition to the business benefits, the cooperation, which is today known as Samvärme Helsingborg, had another positive effect – reduced emissions. In a 2014 thesis by Gustav Lindström and Christoffer Ohlander at the Department of Economics and Industrial Development at Linköping University, the CO2 savings were calculated at about 1.6 million tonnes from 1974 to 2012. That is equivalent to 42,000 air passenger trips between Stockholm and New York every year.

Additionally, emissions of other environmental and hazardous substances such as sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds have decreased. And taking advantage of the residual heat has meant a reduction in the extraction of natural resources. The primary energy factor for Helsingborg’s district heating is 0.12, which is among the lowest of the larger municipalities in Sweden.

The cooperation between Kemira and Öresundskraft is based on commercial principles for the benefit of both parties. Having an outlet for the residual heat gives Kemira a competitive advantage. For Öresundskraft, the residual heat is the foundation for the heating of Helsingborg. Among other things, it has led to the ability to keep Öresundskraft’s district heating prices below the average price in Sweden.

“The close cooperation with Öresundskraft is an important part of our environmental efforts. Due to the fact that our residual heat can be used in the district heating system, we are able to reduce Helsingborg’s emissions and contribute to a sustainable development of the city”, says Lennart Albertsson, Managing Director, Kemira Kemi.

Kemira’s site in Helsingborg, Sweden

Significant environmental and economic benefits

In a parallel study, Öresundskraft engineering consultancy WSP investigated how the Helsingborg region would look without the district heating. The study compared the current energy system in the region (Helsingborg, Ängelholm and parts of Landskrona), to an alternative scenario without district heating for heat supply. The effects would be significant:

• CO2 emissions would be 131,000 tonnes per year larger, equivalent to 73,000 cars
• 1,358 fewer people would have jobs
• The local purchasing power would decrease by SEK 196 million per year
• There would be lower municipal tax revenues, equivalent to 1,000 primary school places
• The extraction of natural resources – primary energy – would be six times higher.

“The environmental benefits of district heating have already been known, but we had not fully understood its importance to the national economy”, said Lars-Inge Persson, Head of business area Power & Heating at Öresundskraft, when the study was presented in May 2014.

“District heating has redesigned Sweden’s energy map and has contributed to Sweden reaching the climate targets under the Kyoto Protocol. We want to tell a wider audience about Samvärme Helsingborg and what it has meant for the region. There are lessons here that can bring the same benefits for other counties – and for other countries,” says Anders Östlund, Managing Director, Öresundskraft.

For more information, please contact

Öresundskraft
Anders Östlund, Managing Director
+46 70 418 3080