Mälarenergi has formally decided to retire Unit 4, the last remaining coal-fired unit at its combined heat and power (CHP) plant in Västerås, Sweden. Although idled for several years, the decision means that Unit 4 will be decommissioned. With the biomass-fired Unit 7, currently under construction, it marks the beginning of the end for Mälarenegi's coal-fired era.

Swedish municipal energy utility Mälarenergi AB has announced that its Board of Directors has decided to close one of the older boiler units at the company’s combined heat and power (CHP) plant in Västerås, Sweden.
Although the coal and oil fuelled Unit 4 at Västerås CHP has not been operated for several years, a formal decision has been made to shut it down. A historic decision that is in line with a previous commitment by the company to phase out coal in its heat and power production by 2020.
I am proud that we dare to go forward and proud of Mälarenergi’s staff who did the job that took us here. Everyone who cared for and operated Unit 4 should also be proud, combined heat and power production with Unit 4 has been a great solution for its time, said Niklas Gunnar, Business Area Manager for Heat at Mälarenergi in a statement.
Site preparations for the building of the next cogeneration unit, Unit 7, have begun. The new unit will use recycled wood and biomass as fuel and will replace the older parts of the Västerås CHP, which have been in operation since 1963 and fuelled with coal and oil.
The closure of the boiler will be celebrated with an official ceremony later this year and with Unit 7 in place in 2020, it will be possible for Mälarergi to leave the coal era behind for good.