PRESS RELEASE: The largest roof-based solar cell plant in the Nordic region - both in terms of area and capacity - will be built at Speed's new headquarters and warehouse in Viared, outside Borås. The solar cells cover an area of 53,000 m² and are expected to produce 4 gigawatt hours (GWh) of green electricity per year, equivalent to the annual consumption of about 400 standard villas. The investment gives Speed an attractive green logistics offer and makes the warehouse CO2-positive.
- We can now offer existing and new customers an attractive green logistics solution, something that is increasingly in demand. Our customers in this warehouse will receive a CO2-neutral solution. As we automate our warehouses, our energy needs also increase, which we can now meet with self-produced solar electricity, says Mats Johnson, CEO of Speed.
The solar cell plant is expected to produce 33% more electricity than the property currently consumes. Speed will use some of the electricity in its daily operations, but the surplus will be available to other users through the electricity grid.
The new warehouse and headquarters are being completed and the entire 83,000 m2 building is expected to be operational in May 2020. The building, owned by Logicenters, is one of the largest logistics properties in the Nordic region and is strategically located along highway 40, approximately 6 miles from Gothenburg.
Speed is a national supplier of logistics services as well as staffing, recruitment and training services, with a strong position in an underlying attractive market. The number of employees amounts to approximately 1,050 and sales for 2019 amounted to SEK 707 million. In 2015, Ratos became the majority owner of Speed.
- The fact that we are making this investment feels exciting and entirely right, both from a business perspective for Speed and from a social and sustainability perspective. Ratos is convinced that there is a strong link between sustainability and long-term value creation and we have these issues high on the agenda in our ownership activities," says Christian Johansson Gebauer, Head of Business Area Construction & Services at Ratos and Chairman of the Board of Speed.
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