EIB

EIB loan enables nearly 750 new homes in Skellefteå

The municipality of Skellefteå in Västerbotten County, Northern Sweden put forward a housing programme with the total budget of EUR 142 million, consisting of 7 housing projects and offering about 750 sustainable and affordable housing units to accommodate the municipality’s increasing population.

As Västerbotten is shifting from the metal and mining industries to green energy production, the municipality of Skellefteå is at the forefront of the region’s green transition. With the establishment of a battery gigafactory (Northvolt) that requires new skilled workforce, the municipality’s population is estimated to increase from 74 000 inhabitants to more than 90 000 inhabitants by 2030. To meet the sharp housing demand, the municipality aims to build sustainable and affordable housing for the new green industry workers as well as for the students of the expanding Skellefteå university campus, who will drive the transition towards a green economy in Northern Sweden.

A portion of this construction will be financed by the current loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB). The loan of 800 million SEK (approximately 70 million euros) contributes to promoting social integration and will also help the municipality to broaden its financing for housing production. For the housing projects financed by the EIB loan, the EU has also granted support of approximately 120 million SEK.

The project coordinator is Skellefteå Municipality (contact 0910-735000) and Skebo is a partner in the project (contact 0910-736500).