Long home to polluting industries, the hydro and wind power of Sweden's far north is set to reduce the country's carbon footprint as it lures low-emission manufacturers and creates thousands of jobs for those willing to brave the dark and cold.
Known internationally for reindeer and spectacular views of the Northern Lights, the region also has a surplus of cheap, renewable electricity needed by energy-intensive industries under pressure from shareholders and regulators to help curb global warming.
The need for the industry to meet legally-binding EU environmental standards, made Sweden's far north and its green energy an obvious choice for battery maker Northvolt, partly-owned by auto giant VolkswagenIt is initially investing around 4 billion euros in a gigafactory in Skelleftea, some 800 km due north of the capital Stockholm, to produce batteries with 40 gigawatt-hours of energy storage by 2024 - enough to power between 700,000-800,000 electric vehicles.
"Of course, I wish it were a little warmer," said Senior Director Of Commissioning at Northvolt Christopher Gorelczenko, a U.S. citizen who arrived late last year to set up the gigafactory.Sweden invested heavily in hydro power in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, with the aim of containing costs for its industry and being globally competitive. Many of the power plants are in the far north.
Rival H2 Green Steel aims to produce five million tonnes of fossil-free steel by 2030 in Boden, just south of the Arctic zone and not far from Lulea, where Hybrit has a small-scale, pilot fossil-free steel plant.first data centre entirely powered by renewable energy is in Lulea, where it has invested more than 8.7 billion crowns.
Sweden emitted 4.26 tonnes of carbon dioxide per capita in 2017 compared to a global average of 4.8 tonnes per person, the Our World In Data website shows. Fossil-free steel production alone could reduce Sweden's emissions by around 10%, Hybrit says."If you are looking for a job, it might be time to look at moving to the North," Employment Minister Eva Nordmark said in April.