What has happened in Skellefteå?

A summary from water crisis to industrial revolution.

In just over a decade, Skellefteå has gone from depopulation to becoming one of the country's fastest growing cities – and then back into crisis when the industrial giant Northvolt went bankrupt. Fasten your seatbelts for a rollercoaster ride of successes and setbacks against a backdrop of courage, cooperation, and trust.

Skellefteå Municipality hosted one of Sweden's largest resident dialogues in 2013. In 2011, the municipality was hit by a water parasite that forced half the population to boil their drinking water for six months – which, paradoxically, laid the foundation for a future culture of collaboration.

“We learned to work together across the entire group and with other parties. It was the starting point for a new community and a desire to reverse the trend,” says Kristina Sundin Jonsson, municipal director in Skellefteå Municipality.

In 2012, the place brand Ge idéer plats (Give ideas space) was created in collaboration with the business community and civil society. The local newspaper also got involved. The 2013 resident dialogue laid the foundation for Development Strategy 2030, a strategy focusing on growth, sustainability, infrastructure, culture, and business.

In 2015, the decision was made to build Sara Kulturhus – a bold project in wood that symbolises Skellefteå's green transition. Sara Lidman, a prominent author and debater, has inspired us to create a cultural centre that exudes courage and the will to think in new ways. The whole journey for Skellefteå has been about pushing boundaries and daring to take steps, says Kristina.

Northvolt's decision in 2017 to choose Skellefteå for its battery factory was the result of the municipality's hard work and newfound confidence.

"A comparison of this magnitude is when SAAB went bankrupt in Trollhättan – but in reverse. Little did I know then that we would later find ourselves in the same situation.

Sara Kulturhuswill be completed in 2021, in the midst of the ongoing pandemic.

It opened just as restrictions were eased.

In both 2023 and 2024, Skellefteå was among the top three municipalities in Sweden with the highest percentage increase, despite the loss of residents in the fall of 2024.

"In the first quarter of 2024, we saw the largest increase in numbers. Doing this in a place that had seen a decline in population ten years earlier meant that we had to work in completely new ways and be very agile.

This year, the setback came in the form of Northvolt's bankruptcy. But already in August, the American company Lyten announced that it would take over the business.

"The news about Lyten was a big blow to everyone in Skellefteå. It's been a tough year, but also a reminder of our ability to handle both ups and downs. What you see in a crisis is that people come together around a common goal – that creates strength," concludes Kristina Sundin Jonsson.