LKAB and Statkraft co-operate on wind power

The agreement represents a deepening of the co-operation that began a year ago to investigate the possibilities for new electricity production in Norrbotten.

“We have deepened our cooperation and are now looking at future electricity deliveries to LKAB, including from Statkraft’s project in Piteå. The gradual transition we are planning requires new fossil-free electricity production. Therefore, we rely on Statkraft and other energy companies obtaining permits to carry out projects that can supply electricity on competitive terms,” says Stefan Savonen, Vice President Energy at LKAB.

The current permit application for Hästliden has been under review by the government for a year. Statkraft already has a valid permit to build wind turbines with a maximum height of 200 metres, and 105 wind turbines have been planned to be built within the framework of that permit. However, Statkraft has now applied for a new permit that allows the use of fewer turbines up to 300 metres in height.

“This will enable us to utilize the latest technology in turbine selection and reduce the total production costs for Hästliden by up to 25 percent per kilowatt-hour compared to the original plan, resulting in lower electricity prices. Additionally, the environmental impact will be smaller. The plans have strong support from the municipality and local stakeholders, and now it’s about finding solutions for coexistence with defense interests,” says Jakob Norström, SVP Country Manager of Sweden at Statkraft.

Hästliden is part of the Markbygden wind farm in Piteå municipality. There are already more than 500 installed wind turbines in operation in the area, including a project that has received a permit with total heights of up to 250 metres.

The planned wind farm in Hästliden is expected to generate 2.2 TWh of electricity per year, which corresponds to approximately 20 per cent of the existing electricity consumption in electricity price in area 1 in Sweden, i.e. Norrbotten and the Skellefteå region.

Statkraft is a Norwegian-owned state-owned group with 7,000 employees in more than 20 countries. The Swedish subsidiary Statkraft Sverige is Sweden's fourth largest electricity producer.

Lennart Håkansson

editor@northswedenbusiness.com