Yesterday, a supplement to Dagens Industri was released that focuses on the expansive Västernorrland. In it, the municipalities of Timrå, Sundsvall and Härnösand have an article about collaboration between the municipalities and the positive effects that an establishment in Torsboda can bring.
Torsboda Industrial Park in Timrå municipality is one of Europe's best sites for a major electricity-intensive industry. Now @Timrå municipality, @Sundsvalls municipality and @Härnösand municipality are collaborating to land a large #establishment in the industrial area.
When Volvo Cars and Northvolt were choosing the location for their joint #battery factory, the final battle was between #Torsboda and Gothenburg. In the end, the choice landed on Gothenburg, Volvo's home town. For the project Samverkan Torsboda Industrial Park, the decision could have been disappointing. But it was just the opposite.
- We competed with many sites, both in Sweden and abroad. The fact that we made it to the end is proof that we have a really good and competitive offer. We got even more self-confidence and the question is not if we get an establishment but when, says @Pernilla Berg, acting growth manager Sundsvall municipality.
Torsboda has virtually all the advantages a site of this kind needs. There is a large land area of 150 hectares, it is located right next to the E4, five minutes from the airport, with three deep-sea ports and a railway nearby and a university in Sundsvall.
But above all, there is electricity. Lots of electricity, #green #electricity and cheap electricity. Torsboda can supply 450 MW and is located in electricity area 2, where prices have been among the lowest in Europe in recent years.
Torsboda is geographically located in Timrå municipality, but its establishment will affect the entire region. The Torsboda Industrial Park collaboration is also a joint project between Härnösand, Sundsvall and Timrå.
- It is natural for us to #cooperate. Sundsvall and Härnösand are within 20-25 minutes' commuting distance and the people we expect to move here will settle in all three of our municipalities and even further afield. With such a large establishment, municipal boundaries don't matter," says @Annelie Axelsson, head of growth at Timrå municipality.
The number of new residents depends on the size of the establishment. In three different scenarios, the cooperating municipalities have calculated between 2 000 and 5 000 employees on the site. At most, this could bring more than 13 000 new residents to the region.
Experience shows that a new, large industry leads to several smaller establishments, such as subcontractors and logistics companies. Many new residents also mean that trade, services and the public sector need to grow.
- Forecasts from the @SCB, for example, have been bleak in recent years, pointing to a declining population in our region. So you could say that we are now moving from a kind of crisis management to the reverse. But it requires at least as much work and energy," says @Uno Jonsson, Head of Growth at Härnösand Municipality.
We need to be ahead of the curve, especially in terms of housing, but also industrial land, schools and kindergartens, #infrastructure, #skills supply and much more.
- The organizations are committed and working hard on this. It is also important that society knows that this is a positive initiative that can give a lot back. My feeling is that there is a broad sense of hope and that even "people in the cottages" are engaged and curious about what will happen in the future, says @Annelie Axelsson.
Discussions are currently ongoing with several stakeholders from different countries. Given that the global strategy is to #electrify the vehicle fleet in a short time, the battery industry is the hottest right now. But Torsboda is also suitable for other types of #energy-intensive and large-scale industries.
- It is in this segment that there are inquiries and given Torsboda's great advantages, we believe that we have a decision on an establishment in the relatively near future, says @Uno Jonsson.
Photo: Marie Zetterlund
#tillsammansammans #timråkommun #tillväxttimrå #sundsvallskommun #härnösandskommun #torsbodaindustrialpark
