Sustainable Heating & Cooling in Practice: Insights from Southern Sweden on efficient and effective District Heating Asset Management

7-8 October 2025, Helsingborg 

The Swedish Energy Agency and the Sustainable Heating and Cooling by Sweden platform, in collaboration with SweHeat & Cooling and Business Sweden are organising a second Study Tour to Helsingborg on the 7-8th of October 2025 to explore Sweden's success strategies and best practices within heating and cooling. 

Sweden has long been at the forefront of fossil-free heating, with district heating now covering nearly 60% of the market. Only 1–2% of oil and gas boilers remain, and the few remaining emissions largely come from fossil-based plastics in waste-to-energy CHP plants. 

This second Study Tour, following the first visit to Lund in September 2025, will focus on Minimising primary energy use and Smart Asset Management (SAM), and CO₂ reduction in existing district heating infrastructure—key strategies for extending system life while maximizing environmental and economic performance. It will present practical examples of how aging assets can be upgraded and optimized. Highlights include the conversion of an old CHP plant from coal, to oil to biomass (wood powder), enabling many more years of operation without building new capacity. 

Presentations will also cover the reuse of surplus heat from the nearby Kemira chemical plant and from sewage water (heat pump), reducing the need for additional heat production and lowering emissions. Surplus heat is even used for District Cooling.

The use of predictive condition monitoring will be explored as a way to extend the life of existing district heating pipe networks, allowing targeted maintenance and replacement of only the most at-risk sections.

Another focal point will be the integration of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) at a waste-to-energy plant, creating new revenue stream from carbon credits 

Together, these measures contribute not only to reduced climate impact but also to increased Return on Capital Employed (ROCE)—showing how smart technical solutions can unlock both environmental and financial value.

Located just an hour from Copenhagen Airport, Helsingborg—the second-largest city in the Skåne region—offers an ideal sitefor exploring the future of sustainable urban heating systems.

What to expect

• Site Visits to Leading Energy Operator
  • The host of the Study Tour will be Öresundskraft, a municipally owned energy company based in Helsingborg, Sweden. Öresundskraft is focused on distribution of Electric power, District Heating and Cooling, and the production of heat and power (CHP). 
  • Their DH network is interconnected in a regional network with a common optimization. This stretches more than 60 km (south-to-north) across multiple municipalities, from Lund to Helsingborg. More than 30 production plants are used efficiently within this network.
  • The visit will showcase heat recovery from industrial processes, carbon capture & storage, conversion of fossil fuel plants and life time prolongation of DH pipes (2 and 3 GDH).
• Exclusive workshops and keynote sessions with Swedish utility and technology providers to exchange best practices and discuss strategies for accelerating the transition to profitable and sustainable heating and cooling.
• More information on the preliminary agenda can be found here.

Practicalities

• The programme is free of charge, sponsored by the Sweden Energy Agency and hosts. A cost-based participation fee at 430 EUR will be charged for hotel, breakfast, dinner, conference and logistics on site. Each participant is responsible to organise the travel from and to Helsingborg.
• Registration deadline for joining the study tour is the 15st September 2025. Please note that spots are limited and final confirmation of participation is subject to approval from the organisers. 
• For further information please contact Bengt Malmberg, info@sweheat.com and Markus Lundmark, markus.lundmark@business-sweden.se