{"id":3337597,"date":"2026-08-25T08:38:19","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T06:38:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/waterexpo.se\/nyheter\/water-risks-becoming-a-bottleneck-for-swedens-development\/"},"modified":"2026-08-25T15:33:58","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T13:33:58","slug":"water-risks-becoming-a-bottleneck-for-swedens-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/waterexpo.se\/en\/nyheter\/water-risks-becoming-a-bottleneck-for-swedens-development\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cWater risks becoming a bottleneck for Sweden\u2019s development\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

P\u00e4r Dalhielm, CEO of Svenskt Vatten, on the SEK 590 billion investment gap, shortcomings in Sweden\u2019s preparedness, and why the next government needs to take greater responsibility for water policy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Water has long been regarded as a municipal operational and environmental issue. However, climate change, growing investment needs and a deteriorating security situation are changing the conditions. For P\u00e4r Dalhielm, CEO of the industry organisation Svenskt Vatten<\/a>, water has therefore taken on an entirely new strategic significance. <\/p>\n

Society is built and sustained by water. If our energy systems, transport networks and water infrastructure fail, the consequences will be felt. Water is shifting from being an environmental issue to one of national security, competitiveness and societal development. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

According to Svenskt Vatten, around SEK 590 billion needs to be invested in Sweden\u2019s water and wastewater infrastructure by 2040. This need is driven by ageing infrastructure, climate change, stricter treatment requirements and the need to strengthen preparedness. <\/p>\n

We have an investment gap that we keep pushing ahead of us. Funding is a key issue, but money alone is not always enough. Around 30 per cent of our members have to deprioritise or postpone investment projects because they lack the skills and expertise needed to carry them out. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What happens if investments continue to be postponed?<\/h2>\n

It becomes more expensive than it needs to be and holds back wider societal development. In \u00c5re, for example, new detailed development plans have been put on hold because the wastewater treatment plant does not have sufficient capacity. Water and wastewater infrastructure becomes a bottleneck for development. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Conditions vary significantly between municipalities. According to P\u00e4r Dalhielm, water and wastewater charges already vary by around 500 per cent. <\/p>\n

If we are to manage this investment backlog, the price of water will in some cases need to increase substantially. Those differences will then become very noticeable. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

How does water and wastewater capacity affect Sweden\u2019s competitiveness?<\/h2>\n

We are already seeing how insufficient water and wastewater capacity affects where companies choose to invest. Connection charges can influence where a business decides to locate its operations. Security of supply is also becoming an issue: can I rely on this system to work or not? <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The deteriorating security situation has also brought renewed focus to water and wastewater systems. How should we think about water and wastewater from a preparedness perspective? <\/p>\n

There is a tendency to buy emergency water tanks and focus on how to manage crises, rather than building a strong and resilient core system. Residents are of course grateful that emergency water is available when needed, but they would be much happier if the system worked properly in the first place. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

According to P\u00e4r Dalhielm, one fundamental problem is that, unlike other critical infrastructure systems, water does not fall under the responsibility of a dedicated government minister.<\/p>\n

There is no one in government with overall responsibility for water policy. As a result, there is also no clear line of accountability. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What would you like to hear from the political parties ahead of the election?<\/h2>\n

Three things. Launch a review of financing so that we can invest for the future. Implement the proposals from the inquiry into water and wastewater preparedness. And clarify responsibility and coordination within the Government Offices \u2013 who is responsible, and how do we take this forward together? <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

According to P\u00e4r Dalhielm, the SEK 590 billion represents more than just a cost. If the investments are made in the right way, they can give Sweden better infrastructure, new jobs and new business opportunities. <\/p>\n

If we succeed, we will become more resilient to both climate change and other disruptions, while creating the conditions for growing cities. And if we do it through innovation, new technology and skills, we can also export that expertise. Water is a global issue, so this could become a strong business opportunity for Sweden. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In September, P\u00e4r Dalhielm will take part in the panel \u201cWater and wastewater systems in focus as Stockholm grows\u201d at Sweden Water Expo.<\/p>\n

Meeting places like this are absolutely essential. Nothing will happen with these SEK 590 billion investments unless we collaborate very closely. If you bring together clients, contractors and those who can challenge established ways of working with new technology and expertise, you create very good conditions for progress. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

\"P\u00e4r<\/p>\n

Facts:<\/strong>
\nP\u00e4r Dalhielm<\/strong>
\nTitle:<\/strong> CEO, Svenskt Vatten
\nRole:<\/strong> Leder branschorganisationen f\u00f6r Sveriges VA-organisationer.
\nCurrent:<\/strong> Taking part in the panel \u201dVA-systemet i fokus n\u00e4r Stockholm v\u00e4xer<\/a>\u201d at Sweden Water Expo in September.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

P\u00e4r Dalhielm, CEO of Svenskt Vatten, on the SEK 590 billion investment gap, shortcomings in Sweden\u2019s preparedness, and why the next government needs to take greater responsibility for water policy. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":3337596,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3337597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nyheter","is-sticky"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/waterexpo.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3337597","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/waterexpo.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/waterexpo.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/waterexpo.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/waterexpo.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3337597"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/waterexpo.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3337597\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3337601,"href":"https:\/\/waterexpo.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3337597\/revisions\/3337601"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/waterexpo.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3337596"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/waterexpo.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3337597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/waterexpo.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3337597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/waterexpo.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3337597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}