Response to interpellation 2023/24:472 on Malmporten
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
KD argues that the government has already taken measures to investigate how the Malmporten project can be accelerated 1. KD emphasizes that the project is high-priority and will contribute to more efficient and environmentally friendly sea transport with increased cargo capacity 2. KD argues that the requested measures were already taken a year ago 2. KD argues that the transport system as a whole should be optimized rather than pitting different modes of transport against each other 2 3. KD argues that it is about concrete assignments to Trafikverket 3 and emphasizes the importance of a robust icebreaker fleet 3. S argues that it is important to have respect for large investments 4. S expresses concern that delays in the shipping lane could jeopardize investments such as H2 Green Steel 4. S emphasizes that the state must act to prevent investments and jobs from moving abroad 4. KD agrees that the infrastructure is important for companies and the defense perspective 5. KD argues that the government has already taken measures and that Sjöfartsverket has been tasked to review possibilities for starting the works 5.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)
Madam Speaker! Mattias Ottosson has asked me if I and the government will take any measures to speed up the Malmporten project.
Project Malmporten aims to increase the capacity, availability, and safety in the shipping lanes to Luleå harbor. Sjöfartsverket and Luleå Hamn AB cooperate to implement the measures in Malmporten in its entirety. Sjöfartsverket is responsible for the interventions in the state shipping lanes up to the harbor. Luleå Hamn AB is responsible for the initiatives within the harbor area.
The state measures are financed through the national plan for transport infrastructure 2022-2033.
The Government gave Trafikverket the assignment on 30 March 2023 to describe the current status and current planning situation for certain measures in the national plan. This concerned the efforts that are significant for addressing any deficiencies and bottlenecks that may arise in the transport system due to the larger company establishments and company expansions currently taking place in Norrbotten and Västerbotten counties. Trafikverket was also given the assignment to account for the possibility of advancing the mentioned measures to achieve the desired effects as early as possible. The Government has therefore already taken measures to investigate whether the project can be accelerated.
The Swedish Transport Administration's report was submitted to the Government on 15 September 2023. Regarding Malmporten, the Swedish Transport Administration writes in its report that there are no conditions to further advance the measures, as they are planned to be implemented in the near future.
Mattias Ottosson (S)
Madam Speaker! The basic industry is important for Sweden. I think it is important with Klarna, Spotify and all the modern companies that have emerged and offer different services, but fundamentally it is the basic industry that builds Sweden and the Swedish economy. The ore and the forest are extremely important. That must be taken into account. It is pleasing to take part in what is happening in the north now where those activities are developing in a positive way.
I have visited Norrbotten on several occasions and looked at the plans that exist. LKAB, SSAB and Vattenfall are working with Hybrit and H2 Green Steel in Boden, where it is being developed. I also crossed the county border to Västerbotten and visited Skellefteå, where it is not only being planned but is actually happening now. It is an enormous amount.
The State has a great responsibility in this. Part of that is, naturally, that the infrastructure functions, so that the plans can become a reality and Swedish industry can transition, be competitive, and create growth moving forward.
We have seen that there have been problems. There have been derailments on the Malmbanan and challenges there on both the Norwegian and Swedish sides. It is about getting the E4 to function and about the connections that need to be made to the Port of Luleå. It is also about getting the passenger traffic between Luleå and Boden to function in a good way, perhaps with double tracks.
Regarding the Port of Luleå, it is important to get the land connections to work, but it is also a matter of getting the shipping channel, the fairway, both deepened and widened. It naturally sounds good that the Minister says that the plans are fixed and that things are moving forward.
What worries me is that the Swedish Maritime Administration's procurement was supposed to be finished before the turn of the year but had to be interrupted. A new attempt was made and they are now continuing to work on getting this in place. It concerns me, because January and February have passed and we are now in March. Spring is coming, but we do not have this in place. If the schedule is to be kept, the dredging and widening of the shipping lane need to start this summer. For known reasons, it is difficult to carry out that type of work during the winter half of the year in the Bay of Bothnia. It is good that it is in the plan. It is good that the government has acted. But now it seems to be standing still a bit. Then the government must also act so that this keeps moving forward. Is it possible to speed it up in some way, so that we do not get a delay? It is important that this is in place. The plan is, of course, that it should be done by 2028.
It is no small increase in calls to the port of Luleå that is being planned. Today, the port of Luleå has approximately 700 calls per year. By the year 2030, it is expected to have 2,000 calls. That is more than a doubling. One faces a challenge to manage that. I do not even dare to calculate how many tons it concerns that shall pass in and out. It is important for Swedish industry and shipping that it works. Does the Minister feel the same concern as I do that this could be delayed and not be in place in time?
Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)
Madam Speaker! I want first to emphasize the importance and the need for the investment that is to be made. It is, of course, a high priority to get it in place as soon as possible in the Port of Luleå. That was precisely why the government, a year ago, tasked Trafikverket to, among other things, see if it is possible to further accelerate this very important project.
The Malmporten project will contribute to more efficient and environmentally friendly sea transport. Cargo capacity is expected to increase by as much as 300 percent during the summer. The transports and fuel costs are estimated to decrease by up to 40 percent per transported ton of cargo. This is a good and clear example of how increased capacity and the industry's fantastic opportunities to mobilize resources and create jobs and growth across the entire country, not least in this part of the country, go hand in hand with effective and functioning sustainability work where emissions also decrease. It is a fantastic opportunity for Sweden.
As a Christian Democrat, who works for all of Sweden to function, I naturally see the opportunities in this. But as the assignment the government gave to Trafikverket illustrates, we also perceived that it needs to go faster. We received the report in September, and in it, it states that because this lies so far ahead in the plan, that part cannot be expedited any further.
It is not just rolling along. The Swedish Maritime Administration has been tasked with reviewing various possibilities to start the work as soon as possible. The Swedish Maritime Administration maintains that the government has made the necessary decisions and that funds have been allocated for the project. The objective is to carry out preparatory work as early as this summer, i.e., 2024. It is, of course, important to follow this, but the measures that the member requests the government to take, we already took a year ago when we tasked the Transport Administration to see what could be done to speed this up. I share one hundred percent the assessment that the Port of Luleå and Malmporten are very important and that there is great potential in shipping as part of a sustainable, accessible, and functioning transport system.
The members of the committee took up additional measures, but since the interpellation primarily concerned the Port of Luleå, I want to dwell on maritime transport during the final seconds of this speech. There is great potential in the entire transport system. One should not pit different modes of transport against each other but instead count on maritime transport, the railway, road traffic, and also aviation, and see how one can act to achieve the best possible benefit in the entire system, increase accessibility and capacity, and also ensure success with the high-priority goals for the transition of the transport sector and for reducing emissions.
The answer to the question is that we have taken the measures that the member requests and that we, of course, follow this closely to ensure that necessary investments are in place as quickly as possible.
Mattias Ottosson (S)
Madam Speaker! I am pleased that the Minister and the Government share the view that Swedish industry is important and regarding the investments in Norrbotten. But I can also understand the concern that exists among the companies, in the management, and among the employees, about how it will go. For them, these are large billion-kronor investments and a risk-taking. I think that is strong. It is a good way forward for Sweden. But I can understand their concern when the infrastructure does not quite hold up.
I also do not want to pit different modes of transport against each other, because they are interconnected. I believe that it is extremely important. Now, perhaps road, rail, and shipping are the most important in the north given that it concerns other weights there, but there is of course also labor and special expertise that must be flown in. I believe that it is extremely important that it hangs together.
I also understand the concern over the problems that exist, for example, the derailment on the Malmbanan. It creates huge problems for LKAB. It was not just one derailment but two. Right now, therefore, the traffic towards Narvik is at a standstill, and it has been so for a long time.
The capacity does not really exist today to go south towards Luleå harbor. We naturally hope that it will exist. It is also about the connection with the Norrbotniabanan. There, we would need to significantly increase the pace to get it in place. The appeals that are pending need to be handled as soon as possible by the government so that the project can continue.
Then we have that which concerns shipping and the shipping lane. Shipping in the north has more problems. There is a lot of ice. One struggles with that problem. This winter has been a severe ice winter. The Swedish Maritime Administration has signaled that the capacity is insufficient. Two new icebreakers are in the plan, but it is also about a third. One has rented, and one is considering buying used ones.
It is serious for Swedish industry. On Tuesday, I was reached with the news that the icebreaking to Kalix is being cancelled. It is clear that it is a huge problem for Billerud's Karlsborg factory to not be able to have the sea transports.
Already today it is serious. It is important that the various measures are implemented. The widening and deepening of the shipping lane to Luleå harbor would provide greater capacity and could also relieve other ports.
I am perhaps not quite satisfied with the answer I receive from the government. It is very good that it is in the plan, and it is very good that the government has written a debate article in DI where it is said that they want to look at the measures that are to be made in Norrland and what has emerged.
But it is not enough just to write debate articles and to give assignments to Trafikverket. Decisions must also be made somewhere so that one feels that things are now going to happen. I feel, in any case, a concern when the procurement was supposed to be finished before the turn of the year and it is now our turn but it is not finished.
We have not received any notification. If it does not start, it will be delayed. It will put further pressure on the industry and the industrial jobs that exist in the north and which are so important for Sweden and Swedish development moving forward.
Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)
Madam Speaker! I shall try to touch upon the various areas that the member was involved in in his follow-up contribution.
It is not the case that the amount of ore we have in our country will be transported via electric aviation in the future. I was actually asked when we had a news presentation whether the investment in aviation would mean that we would not invest in railways. I don't remember exactly in what context it was. I answered that I do not envision the iron ore being transported by electric aviation.
It may be about, as Mattias Ottosson pointed out, that one can fly in competence. We have, for example, a close cooperation between Sweden and Finland. If one wants to fly from Vasa to Umeå today, one needs to fly down to Helsinki, over to Stockholm, and up to Umeå. Air transport plays an important role, but those modes of transport do not stand against each other. The question perhaps indicates that there has been a bit too much about different modes of transport standing against each other. That is something I am glad we can change together.
It is about optimizing the transport system as a whole. There are great needs there. That is the first thing I want to emphasize. The Malmbanan has some of them. It is one of the parts of the work that we have tasked Trafikverket to accelerate.
What can be done to advance important investments on the Malmbanan that are in the national plan and that can be completed earlier? It concerns passing tracks to increase capacity. We have also tasked Trafikverket to look at alternative financing to, for example, get double tracks Luleå-Boden in place.
It is not just about debate articles, far from it. It is about concrete assignments to Trafikverket between the plan revisions so that we can keep the pace high. The organized process that we have for infrastructure planning is largely based on the instrument that has been developed for a long time.
It is extensive processes where there is a broad collection of underlying material. The orientation material is one such material. The referrals from different regions are several others. That work is now underway.
Parallel to this, we have taken these steps precisely because we see the need to accelerate necessary and important infrastructure investments, not least in the northern parts of the country, in order to enable the green industrial initiatives being undertaken in those parts of the country.
Mattias Ottosson raises the issue of the icebreakers and the cold winter. It is also important. This has major consequences. It is of course important that we have a robust and sustainable icebreaker fleet. It is important, not least from a security perspective.
All the questions we discuss can actually be viewed from an important security perspective. This further highlights the need to strengthen infrastructure to meet our commitments as a NATO member.
This work has been ongoing for some time in my department in cooperation with the Ministry of Defence and the Swedish Armed Forces. It is also included in the assignment to Trafikverket when it prepares the first step for the national plan in the orientation document that the total defence's needs shall be on the drawing board.
There will be much to return to. We will present an infrastructure bill that will be on the Riksdag's table this autumn for the Riksdag to consider. Before that, I look forward to good dialogue with the regions in the country.
I am going to Boden on Monday. I have visited several of the places that Mattias Ottosson highlights. I can only agree when it comes to the needs that exist but also the optimism and faith in the future that exists thanks to fantastic investments. It creates jobs and growth so that all of Sweden can flourish, and there the infrastructure is central.
Mattias Ottosson (S)
Madam Speaker! I am pleased that we agree that it is important. What perhaps worries me a bit more is the pace and how we work with the issue.
It is about the large investments that Swedish industry is making, but also the investments that municipalities in the area and regions are making. They are billion-dollar investments for their part as well. One should not joke about money. In the state treasury, 1 billion is not much. In Luleå, of course, 1 billion is very much, and 1 billion is always a lot. One must have respect for that and the work that is being done.
We can talk for a long time about how important it is that the modes of transport cooperate and that we can find those types of synergies so that we can get the most efficient transport chains. But I return a bit to the fact that it has been a concern.
I look forward to an infrastructure bill being submitted. I will certainly not agree with everything, and we will have a dialogue about it. These are long processes.
The problem right now is that it is not really working in Luleå because the procurement is not being finalized. I feel a great deal of concern that it will not work.
It is clear that LKAB, SSAB, Vattenfall, Hybrit, H2 Green Steel, and all that they are called, are now working on the investments. It is important that it gets started so that they can ship.
For H2 Green Steel in Boden, the transport into Luleå is extremely important for their investment to be able to get started. If it is delayed and the shipping lane is not completed, it could jeopardize everything.
There are other countries that are interested in this type of investment and that are now working very hard. It is important that the fact that we are late from the state's side does not result in the investments moving to other countries and that it will not result in Swedish jobs and Swedish growth.
Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)
Madam Speaker! I agree with the member that it is important that we ensure we succeed with the investments that are made, so that the companies stay in Sweden and establish themselves here. Here, infrastructure is important. It is also important from a defense perspective. There, the infrastructure becomes either an enabler or a bottleneck.
In the specific case that the member of Parliament brings up regarding Malmporten, the government already took measures a year ago and commissioned Trafikverket to report whether there are measures that can be taken to speed it up. Trafikverket concluded that decisions cannot be made because it is already so far ahead in the planning. That is when we come to the next step. That is what Mattias Ottoson feels a concern about.
Madam Speaker! It does not fall to an individual minister to comment on ongoing procurements. But the Swedish Maritime Administration has been tasked to review various possibilities to start the work as soon as possible. It is estimated to do so already in the summer of 2024.
We will, of course, follow this, and I suspect that Mattias Ottosson will also do so. We agree that this is an important initiative and that it needs to be implemented as quickly as possible.
With this, I would like to thank the member for the commitment and for the interpellation raised.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.