Solør Bioenergi in Norway acquires Norske Varmeleveranser AS in Gran

Solør Bioenergi, through its company Solør Bioenergi Varme AS, has entered into an agreement to buy the shares in Norske Varmeleveranser AS. Norske Varmeleveranser owns and operates a district heating plant in Gran in Gran municipality north of Oslo, which supplies public and private customers in the center with approximately 6 GWh of renewable bioheat per year. The current owners have built a robust facility and provided the center of Gran with renewable and uninterrupted heat since the start in 2010. Solør Bioenergi now wants to take over the investment and develop the business further in close cooperation with customers and local authorities.

Solör Bioenergy Group is a leading player in renewable energy based on wood fuels with 465,000 users every day. The company has 249 locations in Sweden and Norway in particular, where they produce and distribute district heating, steam and electricity to homes, companies, public businesses, and industries. The business also includes energy recovery of impregnated wood and production of biofuel. By making use of the forest’s resources, Solör wants to pave the way for a sustainable society with reduced carbon dioxide emissions.

– Development of the district heating at Gran has taken place in good cooperation between Norske Varmeleveranser and the municipality and has all the way supported the municipality’s growth and climate goals in a good way. Ensuring competitive green energy with high security of supply to both industry, companies and private individuals is of course important to us. We welcome that the business now has new ownership that will develop the business further and we look forward to a good and constructive collaboration with the new owners regarding the further development of the concession area in the center of Gran, says municipal manager Randi Eek Thorsen in Gran municipality.

Since its start in 2003, Solør Bioenergi has developed into a leading player in renewable energy in Norway and Sweden, and today has more than 2.5 Twh in total energy deliveries. For the Norwegian part of the business, the head office is in Kirkenær. With the acquisition of the district heating plant in Gran, Solør Bioenergi strengthens its investment in the Inland region.

– We look forward to supporting Gran municipality’s plans for the development of Gran by offering further development of sustainable heating solutions in the area. The investment in district heating has been – and is – very important to reach overall climate goals. In addition, district heating contributes to relieving the load on the electricity grid, which in turn reduces society’s investment needs. It also releases a lot of electricity capacity for more appropriate purposes than heating, such as electric car charging, says Hans M. Moss, chairman of Solør Bioenergi Varme AS.

As a representative of the selling shareholders in Norske Varmeleveranser AS, chairman Jan Helge Ekeren expresses his satisfaction that it is industrial and long-term owners who are now taking over the baton and taking the development further. Establishment and development of district heating in Gran has become a very extensive side business for the current owners, alongside the owners’ daily work.

– There is a limit to everything and given the scope that the business has reached, it is right that a professional player with muscles now takes over the responsibility for further development. We are convinced that Solør Bioenergi will contribute to the further development of Gran center by continuing to facilitate sustainable energy solutions. The daily operation of district heating continues with the same high delivery reliability as before and we are very satisfied with that, says Jan Helge Ekeren.

For more information contact:
Jan Helge Ekeren, Norske Varmeleveranser AS , +47 977 00 399
Hans M. Moss, chariman Solør Bioenergi AS +47 900 87 225
Pär Westborg, Marketing Director Solör Bioenergi, +46 76 777 76 72