Sveaskog and Alight enter into strategic partnership to develop large-scale solar power production

Sveaskog has chosen Alight as its partner to develop solar energy projects totalling two gigawatts over five years. The first two projects consist of a solar park of approximately 150 hectares in central Sweden and a solar park of 70 hectares in southern Sweden, in the electricity areas (SE3 and SE4) with the largest electricity deficit and need for expansion of renewable electricity production.

Sveaskog, Sweden's largest forest owner owned by the Swedish state, has chosen to partner with Alight, a leading developer and owner of solar parks headquartered in Sweden. Within the framework of the long-term partnership, Alight will develop, build and co-own solar parks on Sveaskog's land. Sveaskog will co-invest between 30% and 49% in the solar parks and contribute with sustainable management initiatives during the development process. Development of the first two projects has already begun. 

Erik Brandsma, CEO of Sveaskog, says: "Sveaskog's mission is to create value from forest and land. Investing in solar power on our land is natural for us as a large landowner and a way to contribute to the energy transition and the future need for fossil-free energy sources. Alight will be a stable partner for us in this work."

Sveaskog owns 14% of Sweden's forests, or approximately 3.4 million hectares, of which 3 million hectares are productive forest land. If 10,000 hectares, or 0.2% of Sveaskog's land (0.04% of Sweden's total forest land) were converted into solar parks, it could generate around five gigawatts of renewable energy, which would more than double Sweden's current installed solar capacity.

Harald Överholm, CEO of Alight, says: "Solar power is a fast and affordable solution to combat the climate crisis, especially given Sweden's increasing demand for renewable electricity. We are impressed by Sveaskog's high ambitions in sustainability and look forward to jointly build and manage solar projects that strive for the best balance of ecological, economic and social values."

For more information, contact:

• Sveaskog press service, tel +46-(0)8–655 90 50
• Meredith Popolo, PR Director på Alight, tel 0709-61 15 83, email: meredith.popolo@alight-energy.com

About Alight
At Alight, we’re on a mission to kick carbon off the grid by helping energy-intensive businesses switch to solar. We develop, own and operate onsite and offsite solar projects across Europe and sell the clean energy to businesses at a low, fixed cost backed by a power purchase agreement (PPA), always independent of government funding or subsidies. By 2030, we aim to have an installed capacity of at least 5 GW, paving the way for a more sustainable future.

About Sveaskog
Sveaskog is Sweden's largest landowner. Sveaskog's core business is to manage and utilise the forest and supply timber, pulpwood, wood chips, biofuel, forest seedlings and forest services. In addition to activities linked to forestry, Sveaskog leases land for hunting, tourism and energy production. Wind power is currently the dominant energy source on Sveaskog's land. Approximately 18 percent of Sweden's total installed wind power capacity is on Sveaskog's land.