Port of Södertälje’s warmest customer

Whilst calling at Port of Södertälje you will see the Söderenergi heating plant across the water. This is where district heating is produced by burning things the rest of us throw in the trash. Söderenergi is also Port of Södertälje’s biggest customer.

Söderenergi provides district heating to 300 000 households, offices and factories to the southern region of Greater Stockholm. Approximately half of the total fuel volume of 1 million tons arrives at Söderenergi’s designated berths where Port of Södertälje is responsible for staffing, planning and equipment and where over 200 Söderenergi vessels are unloaded every year.

– The port is a prerequisite for our business, says Olle Ankarling, logistics manager at Söderenergis fuel unit. We transport materials by sea, rail and truck, and each mode of transport meets these needs and reduces the vulnerability of the business. Transport routes are more sensitive to weather and accidents. We saw examples of this during the summer with the bridge accident in Södertälje.

Söderenergi does not burn household waste as many believe but office waste, recycled wood chips and wood fuel, which is stored in large cisterns in the port area. Office waste is everything from old moccasin slippers used in healthcare to discarded office furniture. Forest fuel is, for example, sawdust left over from the forest industry. Return chips are fuels recovered from house renovations and construction sites. In 2015, 94.4 percent of fuel was recycled and renewable fuel.

– Our core business is about closing the loop cycle and burning society’s waste that would otherwise would not be used, says Olle. This also reduces the amount of waste that is sent to rubbish dumps. It’s an important mission of which we are proud.

The waste that arrives to Söderenergi is carefully controlled and quality-assured to meet stringent environmental standards. The goal is to be in the forefront when it comes to environmental solutions and the partnership with Port of Södertälje makes the work that much easier. One example is the Port of Södertälje has been instrumental in installing sprinkler systems on and around the Söderenergi berth to reduce the clouds of dust from recycled wood chips when vessels are unloaded.

– Port of Södertälje has finely tuned the entire system and these improvements will be of benefit customers. If I had to describe the cooperation in three words it would be: Committed, forward and results-oriented. Committed; the port has a great understanding of the business. Forward-thinking; be forward thinking in all situations, whether it be during the next four hours or the next four years. And finally result-oriented, maintain focused on delivering the right service at the right time, concludes Olle.