Major investments in heavy industry in the north require more electricity than what the Lule River produces

In Skellefteå, the Northvolt battery factory is being built.

In an area as large as the Old Town in Stockholm, car batteries will be built for the electric cars of the future.

The factory will require as much electricity as 100,000 villas consume in one year, or the entire annual production in Sweden's largest hydropower station: Harsprånget in Luleälven.

Hybrit requires the entire Luleälven production

But it is still nothing compared to the investment in Luleå.

At Hybrit's facility, research is underway on the production of fossil-free steel.

When the plant is expanded - and then Hybrit needs as much electricity as the entire Luleälven river produces.

In the video above, SVT's reporter Randi Gitz tells more about how much electricity the factories require and how energy consumption can change in the country.

Corresponds to the needs of the whole of Greater Gothenburg

The Norrbotten and Västerbotten regions have made an analysis of the future power needs in electricity area 1. From a surplus of 3,000 megawatts, MW, the surplus will decrease by 2,400 MW within eight years.

This corresponds to the power demand of the whole of Greater Gothenburg.

This is what electricity consumption looked like per area week 50 in 2019. Photo: SVT Design

Regional Council: Ignorance in the south

Regional Councilor Nils-Olov Lindfors (C) in Norrbotten seems to see an ignorance to the south about what is going on in the north.

Europe's largest land-based wind farm Markbygden is still being built and the effect is constantly increasing.

Despite this, the regional council points out.

- It is incredibly important that people understand that the additional power production that is being built in Norrbotten is not required for further exports to the south, but for our own business needs.

No refurbishment planned

It has long been talked about that you have to remove the so-called bottleneck between electricity area 1 and south to be able to send more electricity.

Regional Councilor Nils-Olov Lindfors (C) now questions whether this is financially defensible.

- We will continue to be able to supply electricity to the south, but I question the expansion of the main grid further.

It may be an investment of say SEK 65 billion and then you have to have something to deliver in the new backbone network.

Svenska kraftnät has currently only decided to improve the electricity network up to Sollefteå, but is reviewing the need to upgrade the network even further north.

The network development manager Tobias Edfast at Svenska kraftnät estimates that electricity area 1 can also continue to send electricity to southern Sweden, but in the future there will also be periods when the area needs to receive electricity.