Vattenfall Build Holistic Sustainability Into New Wind Farm
Vattenfall is demonstrating how innovative procurement strategies can significantly reduce carbon emissions in wind farm construction. The Swedish power company's latest project in Bruzaholm, southern Sweden, is setting new standards for environmental responsibility in the renewable energy sector.
The 21-turbine onshore wind farm (scheduled to commence operations in autumn 2025) will generate an impressive 460 GWh of fossil-free power annually. But it's not just the end product that's green; Vattenfall has meticulously designed the entire construction process to minimise its carbon footprint.
Arthur Besse, Head of Onshore Wind Procurement at Vattenfall, emphasises the company's commitment to sustainability: "At Vattenfall, we are committed to becoming climate neutral across our value chain by 2040, and we have the ambition to halve our greenhouse gas emissions from purchased goods and services by 2030."
The building blocks of a sustainable future
One of the most notable achievements in this project is the use of ultra-low carbon concrete. The concrete used in Bruzaholm boasts a CO2 footprint of just 211 kg CO2 equivalents per cubic metre, which is 12% lower than Vattenfall's internal target for eco-concrete.
Arthur says: "As we will need some 7,500 cubic metres for the 21 foundations, it will make a significant difference to the CO2 impact of the project but minimal impact to the budget."
The supplier claims that this concrete achieves a 40% lower CO2 footprint compared to the industry benchmark for conventional concrete, based on carbon emissions data using a reference value provided by the Swedish Concrete Association, Svensk Betong. This breakthrough in concrete technology is crucial for the wind energy sector's journey towards net zero emissions.
Building sustainability into a supply chain
Vattenfall's sustainable approach extends beyond materials. The company has revolutionised its procurement process to incentivise contractors to propose environmentally friendly solutions.
For the Bruzaholm project, suppliers were asked to submit CO2 emissions reduction ideas with independent pricing, allowing them to present competitive base prices while offering additional options to lower emissions.
This innovative procurement model led to the selection of Kanonaden Entreprenad as the contractor for groundworks. Arthur praises their contribution:
"Kanonaden Entreprenad was the perfect match for us. To use this extra CO2 lean concrete was actually their suggestion, and they also brought a good deal of other ideas, from using biodiesel for all site machinery to the use of recycled plastic pipe for conduits and site signage."
The contractor's proposals also included optimising groundworks to minimise unnecessary transportation of rock masses to and from the site, further reducing the project's carbon footprint.
The success of this procurement strategy has been so pronounced that Vattenfall plans to use it as a blueprint for future projects. Arthur concludes, "This model for procuring goods and services has proved to be really efficient and successful for all parties and will now be used as a blueprint for coming projects."
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