Waste streams from upcoming industrial projects are creating unique opportunities for food production in an entirely new region."Northern Sweden has rapidly become a highly attractive place for sustainable and circular food production," says Alexander Kult, special coordinator at Gällivare Municipality and participant in the Arctic Food Arena's reference group.
Several parallel industrial investments, as part of the green transition, generate by-products that can be used for food production. This opens doors for northern Sweden to become a promising location for diversified and circular production, even in an Arctic climate.
One successful example of this technique is already in place in Frövi, Örebro County, where a 10-hectare greenhouse, heated by residual heat from the Billerud facility, recently delivered its first harvest of tomatoes to ICA Sverige.
"Regenergy Frövi is an inspiring initiative for us to learn from. The crops grown in Frövi represent one of Sweden’s largest food industry projects through industrial symbiosis and could cover a tenth of Sweden's tomato consumption," says Alexander Kult.
"Given that the residual heat from the HYBRIT initiative in Gällivare is expected to have a higher energy density than from the Billerud Korsnäs paper mill, there's potential for up to ten times as much heat as in Frövi," continues Alexander Kult.
Opportunities for food production are currently being explored at several locations in northern Sweden, including Gällivare, Boden, and Östersund. Several of these projects are led by the company WA3RM AB. WA3RM, rooted in the research facility ESS in Lund, has developed an energy-efficient process based on renewable energy for industrial symbiosis, utilizing waste streams from large industries. This process aims to be not only sustainable from an environmental perspective but also economically and socially viable.
"It's about managing resources efficiently. Of course, this brings environmental benefits, but it also offers business advantages through reduced waste management costs and resource procurement. Additionally, it creates local societal benefits," says Alexander Kult.
Historically, industrial investments in the north have generated a significant portion of the workforce during the construction phase without a long-term increase in population.
"A focus on food production can contribute to a more diversified business landscape and a richer variety of job opportunities for both current and potential residents," says Alexander Kult.
Some of the planned food production projects in Northern Sweden
Gällivare
After six years of research, the HYBRIT initiative in Gällivare recently presented positive results in its final report to the Swedish Energy Agency. The next step is to implement the process on a large scale, with the demonstration plant that LKAB plans to build in Gällivare being the first step toward industrial production of fossil-free sponge iron. The demonstration plant is expected to be ready by 2028 at the earliest. In collaboration with WAR3M, Gällivare Energi, and Gällivare Municipality, studies are underway to explore how residual heat from this process can be used for food production.
Östersund
EcoDataCenter is set to establish itself in Östersund, and the waste heat from the data center will be used to heat greenhouses for vegetable cultivation. The facility will be powered by 100 percent renewable energy. The plan is for the first phase of the data center to begin construction in 2024 and be completed in 2026. The entire facility is expected to be finished by 2033. The project is a collaboration between EcoDataCenter, Jämtkraft, Östersund Municipality, and WA3RM.
Boden
WA3RM and Boden Businesspark have started a collaboration to map the possibilities for industrial symbiosis as Stegras' (formerly H2 Green Steel) large steel plant investment progresses. The facility is expected to be fully operational by 2030, and the idea is to establish greenhouses that utilize the waste streams produced. Boden already has a year-round greenhouse operation utilizing waste heat from a data center.
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