Vattenfall and Boliden say they have signed an agreement to jointly evaluate technical developments to electrify mines and smelters, “the circular economy and a fossil-free future”. The agreement, which covers a four-year period, also includes battery solutions with a view to supporting the electricity grid and optimising electricity consumption, the two companies said.

The companies said: “Vattenfall and Boliden are committed to the transition to a sustainable society, which means reducing dependence on fossil fuels. Under the new four-year strategic agreement, the companies will develop business solutions involving batteries, solar panels, electric transport and recycling of new generation car batteries.”

President and CEO of Vattenfall, Magnus Hall, said: “It’s great that Vattenfall and Boliden can work together on this. It will require technological change and investments in new solutions, but the opportunities are there for both companies. Industrial partnerships like this are crucial if we are to make progress on the electrification of industry and enable fossil-free living within one generation.”

President and CEO of Boliden, Mikael Staffas, said: “Boliden is one of Europe’s largest players in the field of base metals. These metals are a crucial part of the solution for achieving ambitious climate targets in society. At the same time, it’s clearly important for us to drive the development forward within the raw materials sector and identify business solutions and processes for both mining and recycling which will make us more competitive.”

Boliden has mining and smelting operations in Sweden, Finland, Norway and Ireland, with the main sources of fossil emissions include diesel vehicles, process heat and coke as a reducing agent.

“In all areas, fossil-free electricity can be an important part of the solution,” the two companies said. “As a technology-independent partner, Vattenfall can evaluate and enable the introduction of fossil-free technologies, eg electricity and charging infrastructure for transport and mining.”

As a first step in the partnership, modern energy solutions will be implemented at the Bergsöe lead smelter in Landskrona, one of Europe’s largest recyclers of lead batteries from cars. Solar panels, which will produce locally generated renewable electricity to power the plant, will also be installed shortly, according to the two companies.

Technical solutions involving batteries, among other things, are expected to reduce the load on the electricity grid, provide backup power, reduce peaks in capacity and offset renewable weather-dependent electricity generation, they said.