Bridging the gap between municipalities and electricity network companies

More and more electricity network companies looking to establish themselves in East Middle Sweden are being told to go elsewhere, taking hundreds if not thousands of potential jobs with them. The reason? Most municipalities are struggling to meet the demand for network capacity that has only begun to increase. Aiming to address the current shortage of network capacity, Malardalen Energy Agency (MEA) is helping both municipalities and electricity network companies in jointly planning for future energy distribution.

Electrification is key to phasing out fossil energy sources and creating an environment where sustainable businesses can thrive. However, it is no easy feat. Electrification will require that we produce, distribute, and use electricity in new ways.

Collaboration across three regions

The Malardalen Energy Agency (MEA) has launched a project to accelerate electrification across three regions. The first goal is to increase collaboration between municipalities and network companies and support them in planning network expansions efficiently. The project also aims to increase the production of fossil-free energy and to spread the know-how to increase network capacity through flexibility.

“We see that municipalities need support to handle questions regarding electricity network capacity shortage, it is not uncommon for them to contact us because they have to turn new businesses away”, says Lina Gellermark, CEO of the MEA.

“We need tools, resources, and guidance”

Increased knowledge, communication and collaboration are key. MEA is arranging events, both digitally and in-person, and creating platforms for the parties concerned to discuss challenges and solutions.

“We are working actively with The Malardalen Energy Agency to avoid the risk of prolonging the process of extending and upgrading the electricity grid. We need tools, resources, and guidance to handle the question as professionally and proactively as possible”, says Ricardo Dojorti, Public Works Director in Arboga Municipality.

Based on learnings from a previous project

Elsmarta Östra Mellansverige is an EU-funded project that will run until October 2026 in collaboration with four neighbouring regional energy agencies. Actions taken are based on learnings from a recently finished project on regional electricity network capacity shortage, Elkapacitet och effektanvändande i Östra Mellansverige.

This best practice is extracted from our publication ‘Sustainable Regions in Action‘. Discover more best practices here!