Sweco helps to deliver Europe’s largest green battery manufacturing plant

Sweco, in alliance with Nordic industrial partners ABB and Fineweld, are to deliver production units to battery industry disruptor Northvolt.

Founded in 2016 by two former Tesla supply chain heads, Northvolt the self-proclaimed producer of the “world’s greenest battery”, is now establishing one of Europe’s largest large-scale battery factories in Skellefteå, northern Sweden.

“We are extremely happy to support Northvolt in this project which is a continuance of our deliveries in Finland and West Europe amongst the battery value chain. We see energy storage industry and sustainable transportation a key growing area in Europe. The investment is warmly welcome to Europe; it is part of EU’s ambition to have an independent battery production sector”, says Erik Skogström, Managing Director Sweco Finland.

Forerunners in energy storage industry for electric vehicles and sustainable transportation

Being one of Europe’s first gigafactories, Northvolt Ett, will serve as Northvolt’s primary site for the manufacturing of active material, cell assembly, recycling and auxiliaries. Aside from first-rate technical expertise, hardwired into the DNA at Northvolt is adherence to sustainable manufacturing practice. Clean energy will power battery cell manufacturing while the company strives to control a large part of the value chain from raw materials to end of life and recycling.

In its role as a committed partner, Sweco will take responsibility for project management tasks and engineering services. Key engineering service areas are process, technical safety, layout, equipment, piping, steel structures, electrification instrumentation and automation. ABB will assume responsibility for electrification, automation and instrumentation deliveries, while industrial piping specialist Fineweld will be responsible for mechanical equipment, piping deliveries and installation.

Northvolt Ett is to be powered by 100 percent clean energy and will, therefore, be in line with Sweco’s ambition to support sustainable industry of the future.

As electric car sales continue to increase 40-50% annually demand is high for Northvolt’s clean energy. Large-scale manufacturing will commence in 2021 and annual capacity will increase up to at least 32 GWh – enough to power more than 500,000 electric vehicles by 2024, with the potential to expand to 40 GWh in the future.