The municipalities of Helsingør/Elsinore and Helsingborg have hosted this year’s Nordic workshop for members of the Covenant of Mayors. This event took place partly in Helsingør (October 27th) and partly in Helsingborg (October 28th), and partly on the ferry crossing the Öresund strait. Klimatkommunerna in Sweden were co-organizers.

This year’s event emphasised the Nordic climate and energy planning. The program included the “Climate Walk in Elsinore,” a walking tour that presented the ongoing projects of extending district heating to the historic Elsinore city centre, renovating the old buildings using climate adaption solutions, and of improving energy performance of municipal public buildings. Helsingborg City Council presented the new H+ project that is being developed at the Helsingborg waterfront, which will demonstrate innovative solutions for domestic waste and grey water handling, opening up opportunities for more biogas production, nutrient circulation and cleaner effluents in collaboration with the waste water treatment plant Öresundverket.

Scandlines presented their plans for electrifying two of the existing ferries, with a focus on the challenges of fast battery charging at every short docking in Helsingborg and Helsingør.

Initiatives in the densely populated areas of the Kainuu region (FI) and the Norrbotten region (SE), and the cities of Roskilde (DK), Reykjavik (IS) and Lund (SE) were also presented.

Torill Meistad from NER presented the Nordic Energy Technology Perspectives (NETP2016) and suggestions on how Nordic urban areas can contribute to the 2050 climate goals.

The workshop revealed that there are ambitious and skilful local efforts being done in Nordic cities, and that the Covenant of Mayors initiative results in friendly competition, inspiration and mutual learning that is promising for the success of the Nordic green shift.