Editing Vattenfall

{{Short description|Swedish multinational power company owned by the Government of Sweden}}

{{Infobox company
| name = Vattenfall AB
| logo = Vattenfall logo2.svg
| image = Vattenfalls huvudkontor September 2014 06.jpg
| image_caption = Vattenfalls Headquarters (2014)
| type = [[List of Swedish government enterprises|State-owned enterprise]]
| foundation = 1909 as Kungliga Vattenfallsstyrelsen
| location = [[Solna]], [[Sweden]]
| key_people =
{{Interlanguage link
| 1 = Mats Granryd
| 2 = sv
}}{{nbsp}}(Chairman of the Board)<br />{{
Interlanguage link
| 1 = Anna Borg (businesswoman)
| 2 = sv
| 3 = Anna Borg (företagsledare)
| lt = Anna Borg
}}{{nbsp}}(President and CEO)
| industry = [[Energy production]]
| num_employees = 21,000 [[Full-time equivalent|FTE]] – <small>December 2024</small>
| footnotes = Statistics from the 2024 financial statements<ref name="Annual and Sustainability Report 2024">{{cite web |url = https://corporate.vattenfall.com/investors/financial-reports/| title =Vattenfall Annual and Sustainability Report 2024| access-date = 2023-12-31}}</ref>
| products = [[Electricity generation]], distribution and sales, district heating, renewable energy.
| services = [[Charging solutions for electric vehicles]], 
[[Efficient energy use|energy efficiency]]
| revenue = {{profit}} {{SEK| 245.570 billion}} (2024)
| operating_income = {{profit}} {{SEK| 38.851 billion}} (2024)
| net_income = {{profit}} {{SEK| 33.380 billion}} (2024)
| assets = {{profit}} {{SEK|558.497 billion}} (2024)
| homepage = {{url|https://group.vattenfall.com/}}
| equity = {{profit}} {{SEK|201.921 billion}} (2023)
| owner = [[The State (Sweden)|Swedish state]] – 100%<ref>{{cite web|url=https://corporate.vattenfall.com/investors/key-facts/ownership/|title=The parent company of the Vattenfall Group, Vattenfall AB, is a non-listed company, 100 per cent owned by the Swedish state.|date=2024-12-31 }}</ref>
}}

'''Vattenfall''' is a Swedish [[multinational corporation|multinational]] [[electrical power industry|power]] company owned by the [[List of government enterprises of Sweden|Swedish state]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://group.vattenfall.com/who-we-are/corporate-governance/governance-structure|title=Governance structure|website=Vattenfall|language=en|access-date=2019-11-21}}</ref> Beyond Sweden, the company generates power in [[Denmark]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/2018/07/24/vattenfall-places-first-turbine-in-new-wind-power-farm-off-danish-coast/|title=Vattenfall Places First Turbine in New Wind Power Farm off Danish Coast|date=2018-07-24|website=Renewable Energy World|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-21}}</ref> [[Finland]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://bioenergyinternational.com/heat-power/vattenfall-and-nivos-energia-launch-new-partnership-in-finland|title=Vattenfall and Nivos Energia launch new partnership in Finland|date=2019-10-09|website=Bioenergy International|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-21}}</ref> [[Germany]],<ref name="Reuters">{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-vattenfall-nuclear-case-idUKKBN1I91L3|title=Germany says Vattenfall has no grounds to seek arbitration over nuclear phase-out|date=2018-05-08|publisher=Reuters|access-date=2019-11-21|language=en}}</ref> the [[Netherlands]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.powerengineeringint.com/2019/08/14/vattenfall-building-39m-hybrid-energy-park-in-netherlands/|title=Vattenfall building $39m hybrid energy park in Netherlands|date=2019-08-14|website=Power Engineering International|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-21}}</ref> and the [[United Kingdom]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/may/01/state-owned-swedish-firm-vattenfall-enters-uk-energy-market|title=State-owned Swedish firm Vattenfall enters UK energy market|last=Vaughan|first=Adam|date=2017-05-01|work=The Guardian|access-date=2019-11-21|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

The company's name is Swedish for "[[waterfall]]", and is an abbreviation of its original name, Royal Waterfall Board (''Kungliga Vattenfallsstyrelsen'').

==History==
Vattenfall (then called ''Kungliga Vattenfallsstyrelsen'' or Royal Waterfall Board) was founded in 1909 as a state-owned enterprise in Sweden.<ref name="history">{{cite web |url=http://www.vattenfall.com/en/group-history.htm|title=Group History|access-date=22 June 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author1=Katarina Buhr|author2=Anders Hansson|title=Capturing the stories of corporations: A comparison of media debates on carbon capture and storage in Norway and Sweden|journal=Global Environmental Change|date=2011|volume=21|issue=2|url=http://www.sivl.ivl.se/download/18.372c2b801403903d2751c08/1377863551197/Buhr+%26+Hansson+2011.pdf|access-date=30 January 2015|doi=10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2011.01.021|pages=336–345|bibcode=2011GEC....21..336B }}</ref> From its founding until the mid-1970s, Vattenfall's business was largely restricted to [[Sweden]], with a focus on [[hydroelectric power]] generation. Only in 1974 did the company begin to build nuclear reactors in Sweden (the [[Ringhals Nuclear Power Plant|Ringhals 1 and 2]] reactors), eventually owning seven of Sweden's 12 reactors. In 1992, Vattenfall was reformed as the [[Aktiebolag|joint-stock company]] Vattenfall AB. At the same time, the transmission grid (220 kV and 400 kV lines) was transferred to the newly formed state agency [[Svenska kraftnät]], which also became responsible for the operation of the national power system.

In the years 1990 through 2009, Vattenfall expanded considerably (especially into Germany, Poland and the Netherlands), acquiring stakes in Hämeen Sähkö (1996), HEW (1999, 25.1% stake from the city of [[Hamburg]]), the Polish heat production company EW (2000, 55% stake), the Danish Elsam A/S (2005, 35.3% stake), and [[Nuon (company)|Nuon]] (2009, 49% stake, today 100%).<ref name="history" /><ref name="PM">{{cite web |url=http://www.cisionwire.com/vattenfall/nuon-and-vattenfall-join-forces-to-create-a-leading-european-energy-company|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090830191238/http://www.cisionwire.com/vattenfall/nuon-and-vattenfall-join-forces-to-create-a-leading-european-energy-company|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 30, 2009|title=Vattenfall - press release|work=Cision Wire|access-date=23 February 2009}}</ref> In 2002, Vattenfall AB and its acquisitions were incorporated as Vattenfall Europe AG, making it the third-largest electricity producer in [[Germany]].<ref name="history" />

Following the expansion period, Vattenfall started to divest parts of its business in Denmark and Poland during the years following 2009 in a strategy to focus on three core markets: Sweden, Netherlands, and Germany. Write-downs on coal-fired and nuclear power plant assets in Germany and gas power plants in the [[Netherlands]] were necessary for a difficult market environment with increasing renewable energy market share and due to the [[Nuclear power phase-out#Germany|German nuclear power phase-out]] decision made in 2011. In summer 2013 Vattenfall announced a write-down of the value of its assets by 29.7 billion SEK (US$4.6 billion).<ref name="WriteDown2013">{{cite web|url= http://bigstory.ap.org/article/vattenfall-writes-down-46-bln-splits-operations|title=Vattenfall writes down 4.6 bln USD, splits Operations|work=The Big Story |access-date=26 January 2014}}</ref> A major part of these write-offs were attributed to Nuon Energy NV, a Netherlands-based utility that Vattenfall purchased at an 89 billion SEK (ca. US$15 billion) price in 2009, but whose values were depreciating by 15 billion SEK (ca. US$2 billion) since.<ref name="SVDNedskrivning2013">{{cite news|url= http://www.svd.se/naringsliv/nyheter/sverige/nedskrivningen-pa-15-miljarder-bara-borjan_8117260.svd |title=Nedskrivningen på 15 miljarder bara början |trans-title=The write-down of 15 billion is just the beginning |newspaper=Svenska Dagbladet |date=24 April 2013 |access-date=26 January 2014|last1=Lindvall |first1=Per }}</ref> The gloomy market outlook of decreasing power prices in combination with increasing risks notably on the continental market prompted the board to revise the group strategy by splitting its organizational structure into a Nordic part and a part with operations in continental Europe and the [[United Kingdom]] as of 2014. Some analysts have perceived this strategic review as a precursor to a partial retreat from continental European activities with a shift of focus towards activities in the Scandinavian market.<ref name="RetreatfromEurope">{{cite web|url=https://www.handelsblatt.com/technologie/das-technologie-update/energie/energiekonzern-vattenfall-prueft-deutschland-rueckzug/8539236.html|title=Handelsblatt on Vattenfall's potential retreat from Continental Europe |access-date=26 July 2012}}</ref> In this context and in response to a local referendum on re-municipilization of distribution grids, Vattenfall agreed on the sale of company-owned electricity and district-heat grids in Hamburg to the City of Hamburg in early 2014.<ref name="HamburgGrid">{{cite web|url= https://www.handelsblatt.com/unternehmen/industrie/vattenfall-verkauft-netze-der-triumph-der-hamburger/9339924.html|title=Handelsblatt on Vattenfall's sale of power and heat grids to Hamburg City |access-date=26 January 2014}}</ref> In each of the second quarters of 2015 and 2016, Vattenfall filed [[Impairment (financial reporting)|impairments]] of SEK 28 billion, mostly due to lignite power stations in Germany. Operational financials were satisfactory.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.nyteknik.se/energi/mangmiljardsmall-fran-tyskt-brunkol-6591339 | title=Mångmiljardsmäll från tyskt brunkol |trans-title=Multibillion-dollar explosion from German lignite |work=www.nyteknik.se |date= 21 July 2016|access-date= }}</ref> In 2020, Vattenfall reported a profit of SEK 7,716 billion with an operating profit (EBIT) of SEK 15,276 billion.

Outside of Sweden, Vattenfall is known for forcing the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] government to publicly reveal the [[Chernobyl disaster]].  The Kremlin had tried to cover up the accident for a day, but elevated radiation levels at Vattenfall's [[Forsmark Nuclear Power Plant]] forced the Kremlin to admit the accident had occurred.<ref>{{cite news|title=Chernobyl haunts engineer who alerted world|date=26 April 1996 |url=http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9604/26/chernobyl/230pm/index2.html|work=CNN Interactive World News|access-date=28 April 2008}}</ref>

In October 2020, it was announced that Gunnar Groebler, senior vice president at Vattenfall responsible for the company's wind power operations, would leave the organisation to join [[Salzgitter AG]]. <ref>{{Cite news|date=2020-10-17|title=Salzgitter Names Vattenfall's Groebler CEO Effective 2021|language=en|work=Bloomberg.com|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-10-17/salzgitter-names-vattenfall-s-groebler-ceo-effective-2021|access-date=2020-10-20}}</ref>

Magnus Hall, President and CEO from October 2014, decided to leave the company in July 2020 and was succeeded by Anna Borg on November 1, 2020.

[[File:Vattenfall office building 20060913 001.jpg|thumb|Vattenfall's old buildings in [[Råcksta]] were abandoned in autumn 2012. They are being converted into flats since.]]
[[File:Vattenfall-Solna-Headquarters.jpg|thumb| Vattenfall's headquarters were moved to a new building in [[Solna Municipality|Solna]], north of Stockholm, in autumn 2012]]

==Expansion beyond Sweden==

In 2006, Vattenfall began production of the pilot [[carbon capture and storage]] (CCS) plant at [[Schwarze Pumpe power station|Schwarze Pumpe]], Germany. In 2007, the [[Lillgrund Wind Farm]] off the southern coast of Sweden was commissioned and began delivering electricity.

Vattenfall has power generation branches in the core markets Sweden, Germany, [[Netherlands|the Netherlands]], [[United Kingdom]], and [[Denmark]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/vattenfall-results-idUSL8N27E1NT|title=UPDATE 1-Hydro, nuclear energy and hedging help lift Vattenfall's Q3 profit|date=2019-10-29|publisher=Reuters|access-date=2019-11-21|language=en}}</ref> and also has operations in [[Finland]]. In Germany, Vattenfall is the [[electric utility]] for the states of [[Hamburg]], [[Mecklenburg-Vorpommern]], [[Brandenburg]], [[Berlin]], [[Saxony-Anhalt]], [[Thuringia]], and [[Saxony]].

The company entered the British retail energy market in June 2017, but announced in November 2019 that it is considering to pull out again, citing unfavourable market conditions including strong competition and government-imposed price controls.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/energy/article/swedish-energy-giant-vattenfall-ready-to-pull-plug-on-britain-q6zdphzln|title=Swedish energy giant Vattenfall ready to pull plug on Britain|last=Gosden|first=Emily|date=2019-11-11|work=[[The Times]]|access-date=2019-11-21|language=en|issn=0140-0460}}</ref> The company remains one of the largest operators in UK offshore wind <ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.trade.gov/market-intelligence/united-kingdom-offshore-wind-market|title=United Kingdom Offshore Wind Market|work=Official Website of the International Trade Administration|access-date=2022-05-31|language=en}}</ref> and operates the largest onshore windfarm in England and Wales.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://group.vattenfall.com/uk/what-we-do/our-projects/pen-y-cymoedd|title=Pen y Cymoedd windfarm|work=Vattenfall Corporate Website|access-date=2022-05-31|language=en}}</ref>

==Generation==
As of 2019, renewables accounted for 35% of the firm's total generation capacity, including wind, solar and hydro power.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://group.vattenfall.com/what-we-do/our-energy-sources/wind-power|title=Wind power – Wind energy – Wind farms|website=Vattenfall|language=en|access-date=2019-11-26}}</ref>

Some of Vattenfall's most notable power generation plants include the 110 MW [[Lillgrund Wind Farm]] off the coast of [[Malmö]], Sweden, the world's largest<ref name="guardian20100923">{{cite news |url= https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/sep/23/british-firms-worlds-biggest-windfarm |title=British firms miss out as world's biggest offshore windfarm opens off UK coast |date=23 September 2010 |work=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=2010-09-23 |location=London |first=Terry |last=MacAlister}}</ref> offshore wind farm of that time at [[Thanet Offshore Wind Project|Thanet, UK]], the nuclear reactors [[Brunsbuttel Nuclear Power Plant|Brunsbüttel Nuclear Power Plant]] (67% ownership), [[Krummel Nuclear Power Plant|Krümmel Nuclear Power Plant]] (50% ownership), [[Brokdorf Nuclear Power Plant]] (20% ownership) in Germany, and the [[Forsmark Nuclear Power Plant]] and [[Ringhals Nuclear Power Plant]] in Sweden. The nuclear power stations of Brunsbüttel and Krümmel have been shut down permanently in response to a governmental order in summer 2011 after the [[Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thelocal.de/20141015/vattenfall--want-47-billion-for-german-nuclear-shutdown|title=Swedes want €4.7 billion for nuclear shutdown|date=15 October 2014|website=The Local}}</ref>

Vattenfall also operates [[biomass]] and other power plants in Germany and the Netherlands.

===Exit from German lignite coal===
[[File:Tagebau-Kraftwerk-Jaenschwalde.jpg|thumb|Open pit coal mine Jänschwalde and the [[Jänschwalde Power Station|Jänschwalde power plant]], Brandenburg, Germany (April 2010)]]
Until 2016, Vattenfall owned several open pit [[coal mine]]s digging up [[lignite]] for Vattenfall lignite power stations, including the [[Jänschwalde Power Station]], the [[Boxberg Power Station]], the [[Lippendorf Power Station]] (owned in part) and the [[Schwarze Pumpe Power Station]]. In 2014, Vattenfall had a lignite turnover of €2.3 billion and a profit of €647 million, but later lost money on lignite as power prices decreased from 40 to 20 €/MWh.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nyteknik.se/nyheter/energi_miljo/energi/article3967784.ece|title=Två tjecker intresserade av Vattenfalls kol |trans-title=Two Czechs interested in Vattenfall's coal |work=www.nyteknik.se |date= |access-date=}}</ref> On 30{{nbsp}}September 2016, Vattenfall completed the sale of its German lignite facilities to the Czech energy group [[Energetický a průmyslový holding|EPH]] and its financial partner [[PPF (company)|PPF Investments]].<ref name="vattenfall-2016"><!-- web version: https://corporate.vattenfall.com/press-and-media/press-releases/2016/vattenfall-completes-german-lignite-business-sale/ -->
{{cite press release|title=Vattenfall completes German lignite business sale|date=30 September 2016|publisher=Vattenfall|location=Stockholm, Sweden|url=https://corporate.vattenfall.com/globalassets/cision/documents/2016/20160930-vattenfall-completes-german-lignite-business-sale-en-0-2319706.pdf|quote=Vattenfall has completed the sale of its German lignite business to the Czech energy group EPH and its financial partner PPF Investments.|access-date=2016-10-06|author=<!-- staff writer, no by-line -->}}</ref><ref name="Guardian">{{cite news|title=Vattenfall exits German coal unit as it seeks sustainable energy|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/apr/18/vattenfall-exits-german-coal-unit-as-it-seeks-sustainable-energy|work=[[The Guardian]]|agency=[[Agence France-Presse]] |date=18 April 2016}}</ref>

===Nuclear generation===
In January 2016, Vattenfall announced that its Swedish nuclear power plants, including the newer reactors, were operating at a loss due to low electricity prices and Sweden's nuclear output tax. It warned that if it was forced to shut the plants down, there would be serious consequences to Sweden's electricity supply, and argued that the nuclear output tax should be scrapped.<ref name="wnn-20160108">{{cite news|url=http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/C-Vattenfall-seeks-to-return-reactors-to-profitability-0801164.html|title=Vattenfall seeks to return reactors to profitability|date=8 January 2016|access-date=11 January 2016|publisher=World Nuclear News}}</ref>

{{Anchor|ICSID}}In October 2016 Vattenfall began litigation against the German government for its 2011 decision to accelerate the phase-out of nuclear power.  Hearings are taking place at the [[World Bank]]'s [[International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes]] (ICSID) in [[Washington, D.C.]] and Vattenfall is claiming almost €4.7{{nbsp}}billion in damages. The German government regards the action as "inadmissible and unfounded".<ref name="clew-2016">{{cite web |title=Showdown in Germany's nuclear phase-out |date=10 October 2016 |work=Clean Energy Wire (CLEW) |location=Berlin, Germany |url=https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/all-new-cars-emission-free-2030-energiewende-costs/showdown-germanys-nuclear-phase-out |access-date=2016-10-24}}</ref><ref name="Reuters"/> 

In March 2021 the German government agreed to a settlement which resulted in €1.425 billion being paid to Vattenfall as part of a larger compensation package for all the utility companies impacted.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Germany Settles Nuclear Phaseout Legal Disputes for $2.9B |url=https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/germany-settles-nuclear-phase-out-legal-disputes-for-2.9b |access-date=2024-10-01 |website=www.greentechmedia.com}}</ref>

=== Carbon intensity ===
[[File:Pruszkow Elektrownia cropped.jpg|thumb|Vattenfall used to own assets in [[Poland]] until their divestment in 2011. Here exemplarily a power station in [[Pruszków]], near [[Warsaw]].]]
{{See also|List of European power companies by carbon intensity}}
{{More citations needed section|date=June 2010}}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year !! Electricity<br />Production (TWh) !! Emission<br />(Gt CO<sub>2</sub>) !! kg CO<sub>2</sub><br />/MWh !! Sweden<br />(TWh) !! kg CO<sub>2</sub><br />/MWh
|-
| 2006 || 165 || 74.5 || 450
|-
| 2007 || 184 || 84.5 || 459
|-
| 2008 || 178 || 81.72 ||459
|-
| 2009 || 175 || 79.05 || 452
|-
| 2010 || || 93.7 || 416
|-
| 2011 || 167 || 88.6 || 418
|-
| 2012 || 179 || 85.0 || 400
|-
| 2013 || 181.7 || 88.4 || 412
|-
|-2014 || 172.9 || 82.7 || 421
|-
|-2015 || 117.4 || 23.9 || 172
|-
|-2016 || 119 || 23.7 || 170
|-
|-2017 || 127.3 || 23.0 || 157
|-
|-2018 || 130.3 || 22.0 || 150
|-
|-2019 || 130.2 || 19.0 || -
|}

==Distribution==

Vattenfall dominates the electrical distribution in 60 municipalities in Sweden. Other major grid companies include Ellevio (formerly Fortum) and E.ON.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Werner|first1=Anna|title=Elnätavgifterna i Sverige fram till januari 2016|trans-title=Electricity grid charges in Sweden until January 2016 |work=www.villaagarna.se |date= |url=http://www.villaagarna.se/Global/P%c3%a5verka/Eln%c3%a4tsavgifter%202016/Inkl%20januari%202016/Rapport%20Eln%c3%a4tsavgifter%202016%20inkl.%20januaripriser%20-%20rapport%20inkl.%20st%c3%b6rsta%20bilagan%20ver%203.pdf|publisher=Villaägarnas riksförbund|access-date=26 March 2017}}</ref>

==Green transition initiatives==
In May 2025, Vattenfall, in collaboration with technology company Energy Bank and german bidirectional charger manufacturer Ambibox, launched a pilot project in [[Sweden]] aimed at advancing the energy transition towards a fossil-free future. The initiative involved 200 [[Volkswagen]] electric vehicles equipped with bidirectional charging technology—also known as [[Vehicle-to-grid|Vehicle to Grid (V2G)]] and [[Vehicle-to-home|Vehicle to Home (V2H)]]—which enables cars to both draw and supply electricity. Ambibox provides the chargers, while Energy Bank supplies the software to optimize energy usage and grid integration. By storing fossil-free electricity when prices are low and supplying it to households or the grid during peak times, the project explores how electric vehicles can contribute to a more efficient and sustainable energy system. The pilot, which includes private households and Volkswagen dealerships, builds on previous trials and aims to evaluate the technology’s performance and commercial viability<ref>{{cite web |title=Vattenfall in pilot project with 200 electrical Volkswagen cars |url=https://group.vattenfall.com/press-and-media/pressreleases/2025/vattenfall-in-pilot-project-with-200-electrical-volkswagen-cars |website=Vattenfall |publisher=Vattenfall AB |date=2025-05-14 |access-date=2025-05-28}}</ref>.

 
== Car seatbelt ==

Vattenfall played a vital early role in the development of the [[safety belt|seat belt]], developing a two-point seatbelt which became the direct precursor to the modern [[Seat belt#Three-point|three-point]] seatbelt. 

Fatal car accidents were rapidly increasing in [[Sweden]] during the 1950s. When a study at Vattenfall of accidents among employees revealed that the majority of casualties came from [[Traffic collision|car accidents]].<ref>{{cite web
 | access-date = 2023-09-12
 | date        = 2018-04-06
 | language    = en-US
 | title       = How Volvo Invented the Modern Seat Belt
 | url         = https://news.yahoo.com/volvo-invented-modern-seat-belt-160000528.html
 | website     = Yahoo News
}}</ref> Vattenfall discussed this finding with vehicle manufacturers including [[Volvo Cars|Volvo]] and [[Saab Automobile|Saab]]. The companies provided Vattenfall with test cars, but were not enthusiastic about Vattenfall's suggestion of incorporating seat belts for better safety due to concerns that seat belts might make drivers think that driving a car was dangerous.

In light of this, two Vattenfall engineers, Bengt Odelgard and Per-Olof Weman, started to develop a safety belt. This development work let to the creation of a diagonal seat belt, known as the 'Vattenfall seat belt' to be used in their vehicles.<ref>{{cite book
 | date        = 2000
 | first1       = Rune
 | first2      = Claes-Göran
 | isbn        = 978-91-630-9389-0
 | last1        = Andréasson
 | last2       = Bäckström
 | title       = The Seat Belt: Swedish Research and Development for Global Automotive Safety
 | publisher = EO Print
 | url         = https://trid.trb.org/view/712993
}}</ref> Until the mid 1960s, this was the standard seatbelt in Sweden and various countries in Europe. Their work set the standard for safety belts in cars worldwide and was presented to Volvo in the late 1950s, who went on to develop the idea into the three-point safety belt. <ref>{{cite book
 | author2     = Claes-Göran Bäckström
 | first       = Rune
 | isbn        = 91-630-9389-8
 | last        = Andréasson
 | location    = Stockholm
 | pages       = 9, 15–16
 | publisher   = Kulturvårdskommittén Vattenfall AB
 | title       = The Seat Belt : Swedish Research and Development for Global Automotive Safety
 | year        = 2000
}}</ref>

==Criticism==
[[File:Baggerbesetzung Welzow Süd.jpg|thumb|3,500–4,000 [[environmental activist]]s [[Fossil fuel phase-out|blocking a coal mine]] and the [[Schwarze Pumpe power station]] to [[Climate change mitigation|limit climate change]] ([[Ende Gelände 2016]])]]

Vattenfall's past expansion strategy has involved the acquisition of multiple [[Lignite|brown coal (lignite)]]-fired power plants, which has been highly controversial in Sweden and Germany due to the fact that brown coal is among the most [[emission intensity|carbon-intensive]] forms of electricity generation. In addition, brown coal is strip mined in a process that sometimes forces communities to relocate as mining fields expand.<ref>{{in lang|sv}} [http://www.etc.se/artikel/9575/vattenfall-aer-sveriges-stoersta-miljoebov http://www.etc.se/artikel/9575/vattenfall-aer-sveriges-stoersta-miljoebov] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511033506/http://www.etc.se/artikel/9575/vattenfall-aer-sveriges-stoersta-miljoebov |date=2008-05-11 }}</ref> Vattenfall sold its brown coal assets in September 2016 to Czech investor EPH .<ref name="Guardian" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-vattenfall-germany-lignite-idUSKCN0XF1DV|title=Vattenfall sells German lignite assets to Czech EPH|date=2016-04-18|publisher=Reuters|access-date=2019-11-26|language=en}}</ref>

In May 2009, campaign group [[Corporate Europe Observatory]] (CEO) launched the [[Climate Greenwash Awards]], declaring Vattenfall the inaugural winner for portraying itself as a climate champion while lobbying to continue business as usual.<ref name="corporate-europe-observatory-2009">{{cite web|url=http://corporateeurope.org/pressreleases/2009/climate-greenwash-winner-revealed|title=Climate Greenwash Winner Revealed|date=24 May 2009|publisher=Corporate Europe Observatory|location=Brussels, Belgium|access-date=2016-08-03}}</ref> Vattenfall owns (or has owned) four of the "[[Dirty thirty (WWF)|dirty thirty]]" most polluting power stations in Europe, a list compiled by WWF and other organizations.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://europeanclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Dirty-30-report-finale2.pdf|title=Europe's Dirty 30|date=July 2014|website=European Climate}}</ref>

A fire in the transformer of the nuclear power plant [[Krümmel Nuclear Power Plant|Krümmel]] (partly owned with [[E.ON]]) in 2007 forced a closure of the power plant for over two years, while a short circuit in July 2009 in another transformer led to another closure. Due to these incidents the [[Minister-President#Germany|Prime Minister]] of [[Schleswig-Holstein]], [[Germany]], [[Peter Harry Carstensen]] announced that this will be ''letzter Versuch'' (their last try) before complete closure of the facility.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/kruemmel144.html |title=Vattenfall closure |access-date=July 9, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090711105006/http://www.tagesschau.de/inland/kruemmel144.html |archive-date=July 11, 2009 }}</ref>

Vattenfall has been accused of skirting the line of illegality in its effort to maintain ownership of electrical power grids. Most recently, Vattenfall's efforts to maintain ownership of Hamburg's power grid by lobbying the ruling SPD have drawn criticism.<ref>{{cite web|last=Seifert|first=Dirk|title=Legal – Illegal: Vattenfall – Gezielter Rechtsverstoß? Die Hamburger SPD schweigt |trans-title=Legal – Illegal: Vattenfall – Targeted infringement? The Hamburg SPD is silent |url=http://umweltfairaendern.de/2013/08/legal-illegal-vattenfall-gezielter-rechtsverstoss-die-hamburger-spd-schweigt/|work=umweltFAIR |date=17 August 2013|access-date=6 September 2013}}</ref>

In Germany, the ''Berlin Energy Table'' (Berliner Energietisch) alliance united a number of NGOs and local groups initiating a [[Referendum on the recommunalization of energy supply in Berlin]]. The referendum took place on November 3, 2013, yet slightly missed the quorum.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/berlin-referendum-on-buying-electricity-grid-from-vattenfall-fails-a-931609.html|title=Energy Referendum: Public Buy-Back of Berlin Grid Fails|date=2013-11-04|work=Spiegel Online|access-date=2019-11-26}}</ref> However, the [[Senate of Berlin]] promised to match the citizens' initiative's key claim, regardless of the referendum's outcome: to transfer all end-user operations, which were owned by Vattenfall at the time, to a [[public utility]] company. The company was founded in 2014 as "Berliner Stadtwerke."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.zfk.de/unternehmen/nachrichten/artikel/berliner-stadtwerke-sind-im-handelsregister-2014-08-05/|title="Berliner Stadtwerke" sind im Handelsregister |trans-title="Berliner Stadtwerke" are in the commercial register |date= |website=www.zfk.de|language=de|access-date=2019-11-26}}</ref>

Vattenfall has also faced criticism from The [[Scottish Wildcat Association]] for looking to expand their wind farm in [[Clashindarroch Forest]] near [[Huntly]] in [[Scotland]], which houses a large number of the critically endangered [[Scottish Wildcat]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Watson |first1=J. |title=Wildcats 'not threatened' by wind farm expansion |date=2018 |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/wildcats-not-threatened-by-wind-farm-expansion-wddfzljwh |access-date=28 October 2021 |work=[[The Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Wylie |first1=K. |title=Fears 'wildcat wonderland' would be doomed under plans to expand wind farm near Huntly |url=https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/aberdeen-aberdeenshire/2832838/fears-wildcat-wonderland-would-be-doomed-under-plans-to-expand-wind-farm-near-huntly/ |access-date=28 October 2021 |publisher=The Press and Journal |date=2021}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Svenska kraftnät]]
* [[European Transmission System Operators]]
* [[List of government enterprises of Sweden]]
* [[List of Swedish companies]]
* [[Scotland-Norway interconnector]]
* [[Vattenfall Cyclassics]] – a cycle race in Hamburg

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Vattenfall}}
*{{official website|https://corporate.vattenfall.com/}}
*[http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/91/91868.html Yahoo - Vattenfall AB Company Profile] at Yahoo!
*[http://www.biq.de/ Biq Location Development and Real Estate Services - Management and marketing of industrial space], subsidiary of Vattenfall Europe AG
*[http://www.allforpower.cz/clanek/rwe-e-on-and-vattenfall-top-the-list-of-european-co2-emitters-in-2008/ RWE, E.ON and Vattenfall] top the list of European CO<sub>2</sub> emitters in 2008
*[https://spectrum.ieee.org/swedish-energy-giant-vattenfall-nets-billions-for-nuclear-phaseout Vattenfall demands $6 billion in compensation from Germany.]
*[https://www.ft.com/content/7f538ea8-5594-11e7-80b6-9bfa4c1f83d2 Vattenfall enter the UK consumer energy market by buying iSupplyEnergy]

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