Site East - a Climate-Neutral Construction Site

At Skellefteå Site East, close to Northvolt’s factory, one of the world’s most sustainable development projects has been conducted. Maximising the cutting-edge know-how of both Skellefteå Municipality and external partners, Site East is a source of inspiration for the industry. It has the boldness to adopt new approaches to sustainability and work with contractors towards a common vision.

The industrial area at Skellefteå Site East covers 45 hectares and is located just a few kilometres outside central Skellefteå . Early on in the initial phase of the project design, Skellefteå Municipality set high sustainability goals and encouraged contractors to take an innovative approach in their tenders. The results have significantly exceeded expectations.

Together with Skanska, which is overseeing the project on behalf of Skellefteå Municipality, the development project saved more than 5,000 tonnes of Co2 emissions, compared with if the project had been carried out in the traditional way.

Constructive circularity

The partners’ shared sustainability objective is a key success factor for the project. Together, they have found new solutions that improve both economic and environmental sustainability. The basic principle is circular and the aim is to reuse what the area has to offer. The construction work is being carried out with smart and sustainable materials management, enabling the contractor to control costs while caring for the climate. For example, tree stumps are regarded as a resource instead of waste, removed vegetation is reused as building material, and sand and gravel are sorted and reused as backfill material. Moraine is used as filling material, and excavated rock is crushed and reused.

Fossil-free workplace vehicles

Another sustainability factor is that all workplace vehicles are powered by electricity or HVO (bio-diesel). One example is a new electrified stone-crushing machine, which was specifically designed to be powered by 100% green electricity from Skellefteå Kraft, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 440 tonnes.

Skanska is committed to ensuring that every detail of the project is optimised from a climate perspective. This includes the use of ‘green’ asphalt with net zero CO2 emissions to pave the roads at Site East.

After completing the project, the climate impact was 75 % lower than if the project had been carried out in the traditional way. The site meets the climate goals set up by the Swedish government – almost 20 years ahead of time.

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