Project Skandia Gateway shares the SGB Awards victory with future generations

The winners of this year’s Sweden Green Building Awards (SGB Awards) have now been announced. Project Skandia Gateway has received the award in the category of Sustainable Infrastructure.

“We are of course proud and delighted that the quay reinforcement work within Project Skandia Gateway has won the Sustainable Infrastructure award. And with a 30% reduction in carbon emissions, I still believe that the greatest win goes to future generations. Through climate-smart material choices, innovative solutions, and close collaboration with NCC here in Skandia Harbour, we have shown that it is possible to build with reduced carbon impact even in billion-class infrastructure projects,” says Jan Andersson, Project Manager for Skandia Gateway at the Port of Gothenburg, and continues:

“From the very start, we have worked with a climate impact assessment that clearly highlights the differences between material choices. We have dared to question long-established working methods, found new approaches along the way, and consistently focused on reducing carbon emissions, all while the climate-optimised measures accounted for only 1% of the total project budget. This knowledge will enable us to set even stricter requirements in future procurements,” says Jan Andersson, Project Manager for Skandia Gateway at the Port of Gothenburg.

Jury Statement

“In a demanding and complex environment, this year’s winner has demonstrated courage and innovative strength by investing in climate-optimized foundations, systematic implementation of climate-reducing measures, and circular solutions. The result is nearly a 40 percent reduction in climate impact. With its holistic approach to sustainability, the project leads the way for the entire industry and proves that sustainability work not only reduces environmental impact but also creates high quality and inspiration for future projects.

How CO2 emissions are reduced in the Skandia Gateway project:

Materials & construction:

• Material choices with lower climate impact, recycled steel instead of new, saved 15% of the entire project’s climate impact
• Optimization and minimization of constructions, for example reduction of concrete thickness
• Smaller proportion of cement – concrete with slag as a binder
• Optimized use of concrete – steel pipe piles partially filled with crushed material
• Thinner layers of coarse concrete
• More efficient sheet piling – smaller dimensions and extent
• Proposals and solutions from both officials and skilled workers on site

Machinery & transport:

• 100% HVO100 in all machinery and transports
• Electrically powered machines for piling and drilling
• Consolidated orders and planned castings with other stakeholders give fewer transports
• Larger load capacity in excavation trucks gives fewer trips
• Charging stations for electric cars on the construction site
• Return loads – bringing new material back from the landfill
• No unnecessary idling

Circular construction:

• Sorting & reuse of asphalt, steel, and rock masses between projects
• Holes in the sheet piling → less future operation & maintenance
• Reuse of masses & materials – steel piles, steel beams, asphalt, cutting waste
• Pulled-up sheet piling reused for seals

Innovative work methodology:

• Ongoing climate calculations showing decreasing emissions over time
• Efficient procurement work with CO2 as a selection criterion
  
  

Facts about Skandia Gateway

The Port of Gothenburg is the only port in Sweden that can receive the world’s largest vessels. But currently, they cannot call at Sweden fully loaded. To solve this problem, and thereby ensure good conditions for Swedish trade, an extensive deepening of the fairway is required. This is managed by the Skandia Gateway project, which is divided into two parts; fairway deepening and quay reinforcement.

Quay reinforcement:
The quay and terminal areas in Skandia Harbour need to be reinforced to handle the increased depth and to be able to handle two larger vessels at the same time. Gothenburg Port Authority is responsible for this part. Construction started in February 2024.

Fairway deepening:
The section of the fairway that needs to be deepened is almost five kilometers long and the dredging requirement is 9–11 million cubic meters. It will increase the maximum depth from today’s 13.5 to 16.5–17.5 meters. In addition to the deepening, the turning area outside the container terminal needs to be widened. This part is managed by the Swedish Maritime Administration, where the planned construction start is autumn 2026.

The entire Skandia Gateway project is planned to be completed around the turn of the year 2028.