VATTENFALL: Proving the Business Case for Fossil Freedom
Making big investments into sustainable energy projects, from wind and solar parks to electric vehicle charging and battery storage, is the only way to drive innovation and continue on a path to fossil freedom. Leading this decarbonisation charge, showcasing that it can be both profitable and meaningful, Vattenfall is a beacon of hope in a tumultuous European market.
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Europe’s energy system is being remade at a pace that would have seemed unlikely only a few years ago, though the direction of travel is no longer really in question. Trade bodies representing the continent’s power industry argue that electrification has moved from a long-term climate ambition to the centre of the competitiveness and energy security debate, with electric vehicle sales up by 31% across Europe in 2025 and heat pump sales rising by over 10% across 16 countries in the same year. Solar, meanwhile, has become the bloc’s single largest source of power in three of the last 14 months, generating a record 25% of EU electricity in June as Germany, Spain and Poland led the way.
Yet momentum alone is not the whole story. The World Economic Forum’s Energy Transition Index 2026, produced with Accenture, found that despite record global energy investment of $3.3 trillion, progress is fragmenting as geopolitical tension, infrastructure bottlenecks and weakening policy certainty expose vulnerabilities across the system. Deployment, the report argues, is no longer enough on its own, it is the financing and infrastructure conditions around it that will determine how fast the transition can actually move.
It is against that backdrop that companies with the scale and track record to keep building through the uncertainty matter most. Vattenfall, the Swedish state-owned utility with 12 million customers and 21,000 employees across Europe, has spent recent months demonstrating exactly that, advancing wind, solar and electric vehicle charging projects that show renewables can be delivered at pace and still make commercial sense.
SOLAR AND STEEL
At the Juliusburg/Krukow solar park in Schleswig-Holstein, Vattenfall has for the first time used low-emission steel for the substructures supporting its solar modules, sourced from Swedish producer SSAB. The steel, made almost entirely from scrap, cuts CO2 emissions in the construction and supply chain by 67%, from 460 tonnes down to 153 tonnes on the Krukow section alone. With a capacity of 80 megawatts, the park will generate around 120 GWh of electricity a year across its 74-hectare site.
“The electricity generated from this solar farm will help reduce Germany’s dependence on imported fossil fuels. But for us fossil freedom does not end with electricity generation, it starts right at the beginning of the supply chain. That is why we are pleased to take this pioneering step together with our partner SSAB, using low emission steel for the substructures. By leading the way as a company, we support the long-term societal goal of becoming fossil free,” said Claus Wattendrup, Head of Solar & Batteries at Vattenfall.
Onshore wind has told a similar story of low-carbon construction paired with tangible local benefit. Vattenfall has inaugurated its Bruzaholm wind farm in southern Sweden, a 139MW site expected to generate 460 GWh a year, backed by a long-term power purchase agreement with Volvo covering around half of the farm’s output, including supply to a planned battery factory in Mariestad. A battery storage system built alongside the turbines helps stabilise the grid, while Eksjö municipality receives government wind power support worth approximately SEK 2.8 million a year.
“We are proud to be able to inaugurate Bruzaholm wind farm today. Through Bruzaholm’s wind farm and the agreement with Volvo, we can now add more electricity production and storage capacity in southern Sweden, where demand is greatest. The fact that the government has ensured that the municipality gets a share of the property tax generated by the park is very positive,” said CEO Anna Borg.
Across the North Sea, construction continues on Clashindarroch II near Huntly in Aberdeenshire, a 63MW extension to an existing site that will power more than 61,500 UK homes and avoid around 90,800 tonnes of CO2 annually. Turbine towers built with low-emission steel are cutting their carbon footprint by around 36% compared with conventional steel, while independent ecologists oversee habitat protection for species including Scottish wildcats and red squirrels. The project will contribute around £315,000 a year in community benefit funding once operational.
“Clashindarroch II shows what modern onshore wind can deliver. We’re not just generating renewable electricity, we’re reducing emissions across the whole project lifecycle and making sure the benefits are felt locally. By working closely with our supply chain and contractors, we’re building in practical carbon reduction measures from the outset, while supporting nature and providing long term value for the communities around the site,” said Matt Bacon, Head of Onshore Market Development UK.
OFFSHORE SCALE
Offshore, Vattenfall has begun the construction phase that will define Germany’s largest offshore wind project. In July the first monopile for Nordlicht I was installed in the North Sea, around 85 kilometres north of Borkum, marking the start of a build that will see two wind farms, with a combined capacity of around 1.6GW, generating roughly six terawatt hours of electricity a year once both are operational in 2028.
“With the installation of the first monopile, Nordlicht is visibly taking shape in the waters of the North Sea. It’s an important step forward for Vattenfall and at the same time a meaningful contribution to the energy transition, strengthening energy security and competitiveness in Europe. Projects of this scale require precise planning, strong partnership across the supply chain, and a clear focus on safety and execution. Seeing the project take shape offshore is a proud moment for the entire team,” said Cyril Moss, Project Director Nordlicht at Vattenfall.
CHARGING AHEAD
Generation is only half of Vattenfall’s contribution to the transition. Vattenfall InCharge has agreed to acquire Nima Energy’s Swedish ultra-fast charging business, adding 178 existing charging points and 254 planned locations to a network that already spans more than 48,500 charge points across Sweden, the Netherlands and Germany.
“More drivers are switching to electric vehicles and expect charging to be available wherever they travel. This acquisition will give our customers increased access to fast and reliable charging in more locations while strengthening our position in Sweden’s fastest-growing charging markets,” said Henrik Nordström, Director Vattenfall E-Mobility Sweden.
Vattenfall is also working with WirelessCar to remove friction from the charging experience itself. More than 700 drivers across Sweden, the Netherlands and Germany trialled Seamless Charging this spring, a cloud-based service that authenticates and bills a session automatically once a vehicle is plugged in, with no card or app required.
“Today, EV drivers often need different apps, cards and authentication steps depending on the charging network. So improving the customer experience and creating a simple charging journey is crucial for the transition to electric mobility. We wanted to explore whether we could remove some of these steps and make charging as easy as possible,” said Fanny Lindberg, Commercial Director at Vattenfall E-Mobility.
None of this activity happens in a vacuum. Industrial electrification in Europe has stagnated at just 33% for a decade, and that 92% of the continent’s technical electrification potential could remain untapped by 2035 without stronger policy support. The gap between what is technically possible and what is actually being built is precisely where companies like Vattenfall carry big importance, not just as generators of clean power, but as proof that wind, solar and charging infrastructure can be delivered profitably and at scale.
That proof matters well beyond Vattenfall’s own balance sheet. Every wind farm inaugurated on schedule, every solar park built with a lighter carbon footprint, and every charging network that removes friction for drivers builds the case that the rest of the industry, and the investors and policymakers who back it, need to see. If the energy transition’s foundations are, as the WEF warns, at risk of weakening, then companies willing to keep building through the uncertainty are exactly what will keep them standing.