The history of Swedegas began in 1976 when the Swedish government decided to introduce natural gas onto the Swedish market and set up a company to realise this ambition.
In 1980, the Swedish and Danish governments signed a collaboration agreement. As a result, an agreement was also signed with the Danish company DONG Energy for the delivery of natural gas.
Five years later, in 1985, the first stage in the gas grid was completed, from Dragör in Denmark to Helsingborg in Sweden. This was Sweden's first delivery of natural gas.
The construction of the gas grid continued in stages and in 1988 it was extended to Gothenburg. In 2004, the final stage of the present gas grid was completed, i.e. up to the chemical companies in Stenungsund in Bohuslän. This meant that natural gas could replace oil, resulting in substantial environmental and climate benefits.
In 2004, Swedegas sold its gas sales operations to DONG Energy.
The Swedish energy market was deregulated in 2005 as part of the second EU energy market package.
Effective CHP plants contribute to environmental benefits
The Rya CHP plant (combined heat and power plant) in Gothenburg was connected to the Swedegas grid in 2005, which meant that Gothenburg Energy could reduce the import of electricity generated at coal-fired condensing power plants in Europe.
Following modernisation, Öresundverket – a CHP plant in Malmö – was connected to the Swedegas grid in 2009. Even here, there were tangible benefits, including a global climate impact reduction of 1 million tonnes of carbon emissions per year.
In 2010, Swedegas was acquired by EQT Infrastructure.
In 2011, Swedegas acquired E.ON's high-pressure gas pipelines in Skåne, Småland and Halland. Swedegas thus became the sole owner of the natural gas grid in Sweden (i.e. all the high-pressure pipelines in the country). Swedegas now has over 600 kilometres of pipeline and over 40 metering and control stations.
Swedegas becomes system balance administrator
In autumn 2012, Swedegas became a partner in Svenskt Gastekniskt Centre (SGC – Swedish Gas Technology Centre), which leads energy gas research and development with a focus on renewables.
In 2012, Swedegas was certified as TSO (Transmission System Operator) for the Swedish gas market and the year after Swedegas was appointed by the government as system balance administrator for the Swedish natural gas grid.
Swedegas is intensifying work on the development of smart energy systems, which include regional grids and LNG terminals. Through the signing of the Green Gas Commitment in May 2013, Swedegas and other European gas grid operators declared their ambition to switch to renewables by 2050.
In Gothenburg, Swedegas and the Port of Gothenburg are planning to invest in an LNG terminal, among other things to satisfy the stricter sulphur directive for shipping. The project was designated by the EU as one of the most prioritised infrastructure projects in Europe.
In December 2013, Swedegas moved to new office premises at Kilsgatan 4 in Gothenburg.
In April 2015, the Spanish and Belgian gas infrastructure companies Enagás and Fluxys acquired Swedegas from EQT Infrastructure.
Bunkering facility in Gothenburg now fully operational
In 2017, Preem and Swedegas entered into an agreement governing a new connection between the gas transmission system and Preem’s new hydrogen gas facility in Gothenburg, which is a precondition if Preem is to increase its renewable fuel production. Consequently, Preem is one of Swedegas’s directly connected customers. Connection was completed in autumn 2018.
Construction of the Swedegas LNG/LBG bunkering facility at the Port of Gothenburg commenced in winter 2018. In May 2018, Swedegas and Barents NaturGass entered into an agreement governing the supply of LNG to the new bunkering facility, which was completed during the autumn.
In 2018, Swedegas presented its first Sustainability Report. We also launched the Gas Barometer, which issues quarterly reports on the volume of renewable gas in the Swedish transmission system.
In November 2018, the European Diversified Infrastructure Fund (EDIF II) acquired Swedegas from Enagás and Fluxys. EDIF II is managed by First State Investments, a global investment management company with more than 20 years’ experience of infrastructure investments.