Vattenfall Heat in major deal with GE Healthcare in Uppsala

GE Healthcare employs some 1,200 people in Uppsala and is investing MSEK 900 there to increase its production capacity. This expansion increases energy needs, and Vattenfall can now supplement the current deals with the supply of district cooling. The agreement runs for 10 years with volumes increasing every year up to 22 GWh. As the volume of energy supplied by Vattenfall increases, GE Healthcare will gradually reduce its own cooling production, leading for instance to a reduction in groundwater use in Uppsala.

The deal is one of the biggest ever in Vattenfall Heat's history, and means closer collaboration with one of the most important customers in Uppsala. It is also a significant part of Vattenfall's endeavours to establish climate-smart solutions.

  "The agreement shows that we have an in-demand, competitive product and that we are continuing our expansion of district cooling in Uppsala. There has been a high rate of expansion in recent years, and all the indications are that this growth is set to continue. It's positive to be able to offer solutions like this, with reduced environmental impact and increased resource efficiency, and this is in line with Vattenfall's overall objectives," says Jenny Larsson, Head of Vattenfall Heat in Sweden.

District cooling is a cost-effective and eco-friendly option for integrating cooling in the manufacturing process. District cooling gives high levels of operational security and security of supply, and good comfort, with low maintenance requirements and without any need to handle refrigerants.

Vattenfall is constructing a new cooling accumulator tank with a capacity of 40 MW to ensure it can supply GE Healthcare with this large volume of district cooling and continue the expansion of district cooling in Uppsala. The business deal also includes the construction of a new culvert to supply GE Healthcare.

The project construction period is expected to be between six and eight months, but Vattenfall will begin supplying district cooling from 1 July 2017 using an interim solution.

For GE Healthcare, the deal means ensuring a stable process, and having a single supplier of district heating, steam and district cooling facilitates an effective energy partnership.

  "We are happy with this solution for our operations in Uppsala. Our production facility requires large energy resources and the collaboration with Vattenfall provides a safe, reliable, eco-friendly and sustainable supply solution," says Bo Lundström, Site Manager at GE Healthcare Life Sciences in Uppsala.

For further information, please contact:
Lars-Åke Linander, Press Officer Vattenfall, +46 (0)70 982 67 69

Adrian Berg von Linde, Head of Business Development Vattenfall Heat, +46 (0)70 246 71 49

Saara Nordenström, Press Officer GE Healthcare Life Sciences, +46 (0)73 868 12 86

From Vattenfall’s Press Office, telephone: +46 (0)8 739 50 10, email: press@vattenfall.com