Industrial and urban symbiosis in Helsingborg

Overview

The industrial symbiosis in Helsingborg began in the mid-1970s when, among other things, a chemical industry started supplying the city with district heating. A driving force for the collaboration may have been the oil crisis, which created a desire to reduce the primary fuel used to supply the city with district heating, thus lowering heating costs. Another driving factor was that industries saw an opportunity to generate income from their unused flows and excess heat. Looking back over the decades since the heat exchange began, it is clear that this exchange has been very beneficial for the chemical industry Kemira Kemi AB. Many chemical and sulfuric acid plants around Europe have had to close and relocate due to tough competition, meaning there are few industries like Kemira Kemi AB left in Europe.

The heat cooperation, with the sale of excess heat, has provided Kemira Kemi AB with an extra income that has proven to offer a needed competitive advantage, allowing them to continue operating. IPOS (Industry Park of Sweden) was established in 2007 with Kemira Kemi AB at its center. In this cluster of companies, a wide range of energy and material flow exchanges and shared infrastructure occur. IPOS has a close partnership with Öresundkraft, and these two actors play a crucial role in the industrial and urban symbiosis network in Helsingborg. A newer initiative is Verapark, a business center and greenhouse for environmentally related development and innovation. Verapark’s goal is to become a leading center for the circular economy in Europe.

Highlights

IPOS offers a service similar to an office hotel for the process industry, providing all types of infrastructure such as electricity, heat, and compressed air. The goal is that industries establishing themselves within IPOS should focus solely on their core activities, while IPOS provides the necessary infrastructure and handles any waste flows. Excess heat from industries within IPOS is converted into district heating for Helsingborg. This is a favorable and efficient business model for energy companies, who gain access to heat without having to produce it themselves. 

It is also lucrative for the companies supplying heat to energy companies, as they can generate income from previously unused flows, especially if the infrastructure for the synergy is already in place and no new investments are needed. Öresundkraft recovers waste heat from wastewater and uses landfill gas and municipal waste as fuel, providing heating and cooling to industries and hospitals. Organic material and food waste, from, for example, the port operations handling large amounts of food, are digested to biogas, and the biogas slurry produced becomes nutrients for agricultural land. Innovative collaborations in Verapark enable new products from waste, create new businesses, and reduce overall waste management costs.

Driving forces and enablers

According to IPOS, good communication has been one of the greatest enablers for the development of the symbiosis network that exists today. This is facilitated both through formal and informal meeting places for those in the Helsingborg area. Through these interactions, trust and personal relationships have been built, allowing for the exchange of information and ideas for improvements and collaborations. What Helsingborg's organizations have been particularly skilled at is creating agreements that have been beneficial for all involved parties. Real “win-win” situations that have contributed to long-lasting and cohesive community spirit in the area.