The CRMA has natural graphite as a critical mineral. Synthetic isn’t mentioned in the drafts I’ve seen, so I wonder if this is a loophole that would allow for more than 60% of processing to be done outside of the EU? I think this is where the battery passport is also important because it will set limits on emissions from material outside EU. However this would seem to give Putailai making synthetic from hydro power free-reign to potentially supply as much as they can / market will buy (notwithstanding their Uyghur problem)
Putailai can forget about manufacturing SG in Sweden in the next few years when there is not even enough electricity for the existing industries and new projects are already being stopped. And they can't use domestic production because of the supply chain law and human rights violations. I see a tilt with them at the moment.
"New giant project threatened by the electricity crisis – industry forced to build its own electricity grid
A new industrial establishment that requires two percent of Swedish electricity consumption is stopped due to deficiencies in the electricity grid. Now the industrial giant is forced to build its own electricity grids so that the efforts have not been made unnecessarily. "We will not be able to make an investment decision until we have secured the electricity supply," says SCA President Roger Östlin to TN.
Recently, industries and companies have been forced to conclude that there is not enough power and grid capacity for their electrification ambitions. Postnord is one example. The company
has warned that network capacity prevents them from taking the step and electrifying their truck fleet and in western Sweden there is no power for large industries to expand, as TN has
reported .
And the situation is the same in northern Sweden.
In a
debate article in DI, the steel giant SSAB and the companies
Talga and Uniper stated that there is a lack of space in the electricity grids for their large planned green investments.
Forming its own electricity network company
Now, the forest and paper company SCA has gained a similar experience.
The company wants to build a factory in Östrand adjacent to its facilities in Timrå. This project requires not only more power, but also new electricity grids.
”Lika viktig som ökad elproduktion är distribution till verksamhetsplatsen. Konkret innebär det att en eventuell framtida industri behöver ges förutsättningar att ansluta till elnätet och att infrastrukturen är dimensionerad för att klara av överföringen”, skriver SCA.
För det är inga små mängder el som SCA vill ansluta till den planerade biodrivmedelsfabriken. För ett bioraffinaderi i den här storleken bedöms omkring 3 TWh el behövas. Det motsvarar cirka 2 procent av den totala svenska elkonsumtionen.
– Vi har, dessvärre, inte kunnat få tydliga besked från regionnätsägaren om det finns erforderlig kapacitet och när vi kan ansluta oss. Det utgör en stor projektrisk för oss och vi kommer inte att kunna fatta ett investeringsbeslut förrän vi har säkrat eltillförseln, säger Roger Östlin som är chef för förnybara drivmedel på SCA.
Therefore, SCA is now taking matters into its own hands.
The company has formed its own
electricity network company, Östrand Elnät AB, and is now directly applying for a concession to Svenska kraftnät for the 5 kilometre long line needed between the planned factory in Östrand and Svenska kraftnät's main grid station in Bandsjön. In this way, SCA hopes to connect directly to the national grid and not have to wait for a response from E.ON.
But don't the regional grid companies have a monopoly on building networks?
"E.ON has a monopoly on the lower voltages up to 40 kV (kilovolts). But we are looking for at least 130 kV because we plan to build a new power line with a capacity of either 220 kV, or for 130 kV with double lines," says Roger Östlin.
What has E.ON stated when you spoke to them?
"That you don't have the capacity and have other customers who are ahead of you in the queue. Which we think is strange since this project has been granted permission and the dialogue began back in 2017.
"They have now given us a verbal message that they could possibly give us around 600 MW, but we are going ahead with these plans anyway. It's too uncertain," he continues.
"Aktiebolaget Sverige must be prioritized"
However, it is far from certain whether SCA can obtain a concession from the Swedish Energy Markets Inspectorate and a connection agreement with Svenska Kraftnät to build and connect to the grid station in Bandsjön.
Both the regional grid companies and Svenska kraftnät investigate the applications of companies and various projects in turn.
"It's quite a difficult situation for the grid companies, which in practice have their hands tied behind their backs and find it difficult to prioritise. Due to the fact that they have a monopoly and you have to treat all customers equally. They have to investigate the projects that they themselves may never think will come to fruition and have little opportunity to focus on more mature projects," he says.
There is also a problem here in that companies and industrial projects overbook when they apply for power allocation, or they apply before they have received a permit, says Roger Östlin.
"They want to be able to show potential investors that they have applied to Svenska kraftnät. It looks good for the project, but builds up queues and locks capacity with projects that aren't always realistic.
He calls for the regional grid companies and Svenska kraftnät to assess different projects according to their level of technical maturity, permits obtained, societal benefits and various positive side effects.
"We think that the Swedish limited liability company should be able to prioritise the projects that are important. When the basic industry goes in with an application to join where we have already received permission and are waiting to be able to make an investment decision, I think it weighs heavily.
SCA's concession application is currently being consulted with the County Administrative Board of Västernorrland, Timrå and Sundsvall municipalities, other authorities, as well as individuals and the general public who may be particularly affected by the operation.
Flaskhalsar i leverantörskedjorna
At the same time, Svenska kraftnät and the regional grid companies are facing another challenge: Access to grid infrastructure.
According to a
report from Ellevio, conducted by the technology consulting company Sweco, the investment need for new network infrastructure is somewhere in the vicinity of SEK 1,000 billion between the years 2021 and 2045. Many of these investments also need to be made over the next 10-12 years.
Already today, the manufacturers of network infrastructure are sounding the alarm about bottlenecks in the supply chains and the question is whether it will be enough for all TSOs (Transmission system operators) and grid companies that are now facing this gigantic network expansion?
"It is clear that here and now there is a greater demand than capacity. And I think that situation applies to all suppliers. That capacity is going to be critical. It's a huge challenge with the current market," said Hitachi Sweden's CEO Tobias Hansson in an
interview in the Energy Strategy podcast.
is also underway in Europe
And the same massive network expansion . According to the European Commission,
the investment needed in new networks is over €500 billion to meet the EU's renewable energy targets.
Henrik Bergström, Head of Public Policy at Ellevio, believes that there is a risk that all ambitious electrification projects will not take place due to both structural errors in legislation and regulation, but also due to limitations on materials and skills.
"Ellevio has received requests for new connections for industry, electricity production and energy storage equivalent to three Stockholm in power during the summer alone. Of course it's a challenge," says Henrik Bergström.
Henrik Bergström believes that the transition is something that is happening now. Not in ten or fifteen years. Therefore, it is time for the government and responsible authorities to set direction, goals and incentives for the electricity grid to be developed on time, in the right place and at a reasonable cost, he emphasises.
"Otherwise, there are risks, both that investments will not be made and that Sweden will not be able to secure the network infrastructure that needs to be expanded.
Here, Henrik Bergström calls for more straightforward answers from politicians. A clear plan going forward that points out the level of security of supply and transmission required – a "system adequacy target" that AB Sverige must achieve.
"We want to see a portfolio of measures. It is not just a question of expanding the national and regional grids. We want to see the development of radically shorter permit processes, long-term revenue regulation and the development of the market model based on clear goals and capabilities that the electricity system needs. Here we have high hopes for the energy policy policy bill that the government will present in December.
Per Eckemark, Head of the Networks Division at Svenska kraftnät, is aware that there is currently a lot of competition for grid infrastructure. For example, there is a high demand for HVDC cables right now.
It is a technology for transmitting electrical power over longer distances via submarine cable, ground or overhead line with lower losses compared to conventional AC technology.
"Very large framework agreements have been signed for HVDC converters and cables recently, and we can of course see that some other components, such as transformers, are also starting to have long lead times. We try to meet this by having a very close dialogue with our supplier base, which of course includes Hitachi, in order to secure the capacity we need."
https://www.tn.se/hallbarhet/32712/...-elkrisen-industrin-tvingas-bygga-eget-elnat/
Somehow the electricity theme is almost funny. Even China can't do anything about it and is cutting its teeth.
Without electricity they don't get anything started and before that - have fun with the approval process.
Fortunately, we have a huge head start and we need a fraction of the electricity.
Talga Group in Cambridge, Britain. Photo: Reuters
So now it's out. I am a fanboy too 
