A fossil-free and climate-positive Stockholm Royal Seaport

The City of Stockholm’s goal to become climate-positive by 2030 and fossil-free by 2040 is challenging to reach at the district level. Those goals cover both direct emissions inside the municipal boundary and indirect emissions from energy use – for example interconnected electricity and district-heating systems that extend beyond the geographic borders.

A climate-positive Stockholm means that the city’s total climate impact becomes negative – emissions are minimised and more carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere than is added. A key part of this is Exergi’s BECCS plant (Bio-Energy CCS), where carbon dioxide is captured from the combustion of biofuels and stored permanently in geological formations. Because biofuels have already bound carbon dioxide during growth, the process gives net negative emissions and thereby contributes to the city’s climate-positive target.

A fossil-free Stockholm means that energy for buildings and transport must come entirely from renewable fuels. That requires decisions and cooperation at several levels: local, regional and national.

In Stockholm Royal Seaport the work follows two main principles. The transport hierarchy prioritises walking, cycling and public transport, helping to minimise car dependency. The Kyoto pyramid means first reducing energy demand, then improving efficiency, before the remaining need is met by fossil-free energy sources.

From energy-efficient buildings to a circular energy supply for the district

Buildings in Stockholm Royal Seaport are designed to use as little energy as possible with well-insulated building envelopes, energy-efficient installations and control systems. Heating mainly comes from district heating, complemented by heat pumps. Waste heat is recovered from both ventilation and wastewater, and renewable energy is produced locally on buildings and structures. In 2025, the average energy use in the Brofästet phase was around 60 kWh per square metre GFA and year, 19 per cent better than the BBR29 requirement. Local solar power production was 3.9 kWh per square metre GFA and year. The city is in dialogue with property developers to gather lessons learned and further improve results.

To test the plus-energy building concept, a land allocation competition was held in 2017, won by Stockholmshem. Experience shows that the plus-energy concept provides valuable insights into how optimised energy performance needs to be balanced against the higher climate impact of embodied materials, and that solar power is often produced when demand is low.

To reach a fossil-free and optimised energy system, a holistic perspective on the district’s energy system is therefore needed – one where energy can be shared, stored and recovered more efficiently. Technical studies have analysed the potential for energy recovery from greywater and other residual heat, as well as the possibilities for seasonal storage of surplus energy in existing rock caverns; both are considered promising solutions.

Sustainability Report 2025: Local production of renewable solar energy

Article: From land allocation competition to plus-energy housing

Measuring is knowing – energy use in Stockholm Royal Seaport (in Swedish)

Innovation project: Energy system study fossil-free Loudden (in Swedish)

Fossil-free and zero-emission transport

Stockholm Royal Seaport is built to make sustainable travel easy. That shows in good walking and cycling routes, proximity to public transport, charging points in garages and on streets, and car pools with charging. Today 16 per cent of garage spaces have charging, and every car-pool space on street level is electrified. Demand is growing as the number of electric vehicles rises, while property owners continuously expand charging infrastructure. In the upcoming Hjorthag Garage all spaces will have charging.

The build-out of the district means heavy transports and the use of construction machinery. The energy used on construction sites must be fossil-free, and in 2025 the share was 96 per cent. To further support the transition, two HVO100 fuelling stations have been established. Two electric trucks have been procured for construction and mass logistics, and cooperation with the construction industry is ongoing to increase the share of electrified vehicles and machinery on construction sites.

Sustainability Report 2025: Climate impact from energy use, construction production and operation

Challenges and continued work

A district cannot become entirely fossil-free or climate-positive within its own geographic borders. Local renewable energy cannot be produced in sufficient quantity, and negative emissions cannot be credited at the district level because of the risk of double counting.

Shared energy systems with seasonal storage in rock caverns, as studied for Loudden, are promising. The biggest challenge is not technology but the organisational, legal and business issues. New regulations and collaboration between property owners will be required.

Energy use needs to fall further. Energy coordination through the entire process, systematic follow-up and strengthened skills during construction production are central success factors.

To reach a fossil-free Stockholm Royal Seaport before 2040, an environmental zone would be needed where fossil-fuelled cars are not allowed, but this is currently not permitted by law.