The government is now beginning to respond to the large industrial investments being made in northern Sweden. On Thursday, the government made a decision to commission the Swedish Transport Administration to begin part of that process. Boden’s mayor Claes Nordmark welcomes the decision and proposes that a social adjustment support be introduced for municipalities that will handle the large establishments.
The pressure on the existing transport infrastructure is already a challenge today. When SEK 700 billion is invested in northern Sweden to meet the global, green industrial change, for example, an undersized railway network can become a bottleneck and a weak link to get the increased effect the current investments are expected to generate.
Therefore, the government, via Minister of Infrastructure Tomas Enroth, instructs the Swedish Transport Administration to take an inventory and review what needs to be done in northern Sweden to meet the coming and increasing needs from the industrial investments that are now being made. The feedback must take place as early as November 22, which indicates that the case is considered urgent.
– It is a gratifying message and the government shows that they take the strong and rapid development in northern Sweden seriously. As early as 2024, H2 Green Steel’s green steel plant will be ready here in Boden and then it will be crowded on both the Ore Line and on the roads. Therefore, there is an urgent need for capacity reinforcements, says Claes Nordmark, mayor (S) Boden.
In the municipality of Boden, together with H2 Green Steel, a completely new, green hydrogen-powered steel plant will literally be connected to the existing railway, which will directly increase the requirement for accessibility on an already heavily trafficked section. The municipal management, led by mayor Claes Nordmark, has initiated a dialogue with the Government Offices as they see some form of social change support as a necessity to succeed in managing and ensure the accelerated social change the municipality has now begun. The municipality of Boden sees the government’s assignment to the Swedish Transport Administration as a welcome part of this.
– This positive decision from the government needs to be followed by more people. We propose the introduction of a form of social adjustment support aimed at municipalities that are to receive large establishments of national interest. It is a huge challenge for a municipality of Boden’s size to meet investments linked to the H2 Green Steel steel plant, which is around SEK 25-30 billion. Here we need direct financial support from the state to the municipalities concerned and it is urgent, says Claes Nordmark, mayor (S) Boden.