Investments of over SEK 1,000 billion in the coming years
A puzzle piece
“We are a piece in a much bigger puzzle, but we have had the advantage of being able to realize our plans quickly and we are therefore helping to pave the way for other large-scale projects because we show them what is possible,” says Anders Thor, Northvolt Director of Communications & Public Affairs, Nordics, to HNN.
Thor says Northvolt has raised about $8 billion in funding to date and has a backlog of $55 billion over the next ten years.
What challenges do you see in further developing the industry in northern Sweden?
“By far the biggest challenge will probably be the supply of skills; getting as many people as possible to see both career and life opportunities in the North as quickly as possible. Our recruitment has gone well so far and we have recruited the first 1,300 employees for the factory. But because we should be at least 4,000 employees, a lot of hard work remains, he says.Over 9 percent of Skellefteå’s workforce is employed by Northvolt, according to the company.
“The new Norrland”
Climate issues are now taking place in the industry’s boardroom – and climate-neutral products and processes are becoming tools in the competition between companies, explains special coordinator Peter Larsson. The investments also have a great effect on the municipalities and people in northern Sweden. Larsson describes a “new Norrland” and a shift in society that we have only seen the beginning of.
“The total effect of the new jobs that are created could lead to an increase of 100,000 inhabitants in the two northernmost counties. The population will, among other things, be younger and more multicultural,” he tells HNN.
The number is based on a fifteen-year period and takes into account the expansion of areas such as schools, families and the public sector. Today, the two counties have a population of 512,000. 100,000 more inhabitants is therefore a large increase, Larsson specifies in the report.