How maintenance is changing at Mälarenergi – ‘We have to be exceptionally agile’

The combined heat and power plant in Västerås plays a central role in Mälarenergi’s supply of heating, cooling and electricity to the region. In parallel, the company is driving a transition towards a climate-neutral society. Meeting both demands has made maintenance a strategic concern, with an emphasis on flexibility, new fuels and greater digitalisation.

Maintenance work at a modern combined heat and power plant is about far more than repairs. At Mälarenergi, it is seen as central to the business, with a direct impact on the working environment of employees, economic efficiency and the company’s climate transition. This perspective is shared by Erik Svensson, Maintenance Manager at Mälarenergi, and Kristina Bäckstrand, Group Sustainability Manager.

– I often think of maintenance work at a facility as being like good preventative healthcare for employees. It helps us stay well and perform well over the long term, says Kristina Bäckstrand.

Operations that require rapid maintenance

Mälarenergi brings together five different areas of operation under one umbrella, ranging from heat and power generation to electricity trading, power grids, water and wastewater services, and fibre. Taken together, these activities make the company one of the region’s most socially critical actors. Within the Heat business area, which includes the combined heat and power plant, maintenance work must strike a balance between long-term structure and the ability to respond rapidly, as the facilities operate around the clock, all year long.

Conditions have changed significantly in recent years. Sharp fluctuations in electricity prices, weather-dependent demand and an increasingly significant role in the support services market linked to Svenska kraftnät [Sweden’s national electricity transmission system operator] mean that planning often needs to be adjusted at very short notice.

– We have to reprioritise constantly, depending on various factors, such as how cold it is and in which direction the electricity market is moving. What looked like an optimal plan last week can soon change, and we often need to make adjustments during the day, says Erik Svensson.

In addition to changing conditions in the energy sector, technological developments have also reshaped maintenance requirements. The new thermal storage facility in an underground cavern, which allows Mälarenergi to store large volumes of heat, provides greater flexibility in the interaction between heat and electricity generation.

This also opens up opportunities to participate in the ancillary services market, where the company helps Svenska kraftnät maintain the correct frequency in the electricity grid. Overall, this means that the facilities are subject to more load changes than before, which in turn places higher demands on maintenance work.

– To optimise production based on heating demand, the electricity market and the ancillary services market, while keeping track of the plant’s status and needs, we need to be exceptionally agile, able to adjust from hour to hour, Erik Svensson says.

When new fuels place new demands on maintenance

The transition to more sustainable fuels has fundamentally changed maintenance work. Having previously burned oil and coal, Mälarenergi has gradually switched to biofuels from forest industry residues and residual waste from households and other industries. The transition has required new technology, entailed different operational risks and created new forms of wear and tear, which has affected both maintenance strategies and working methods.

– This has made maintenance work more complex. There is no longer a standard facility to compare with. We work with several types of fuel and several technologies in parallel, which makes our breadth of expertise and our collaborations extremely important, says Erik Svensson.

This applies both internally and externally. Mälarenergi’s own maintenance organisation has more than 40 employees in the Heating business area, but this is not enough as the range of technologies broadens.

– In the past, you could be an expert on one system. Today, facilities demand so much more. We need to have our own generalists and then partners who are at the cutting edge when needed. Maintenance is collaboration, he says.

When oversight becomes digital and data-driven

Right now, the biggest developments are happening in the area of data collection and analysis. Mälarenergi has built a comprehensive sensor system that continuously monitors everything from vibrations and temperatures to rotational speeds, lubricant quality and various flows. This has made it possible to leave manual checks behind and instead work with continuous real-time monitoring.

– If something is going wrong, we see it early on. A good example is the turbines, where measurements enabled us to detect water in the oil at an early stage. This gave us time to act and filter the water out of the oil, which in turn allowed us to keep production running according to plan. Real-time monitoring enables us to work smarter, which ultimately benefits both the climate and the customer. This is important for long-term sustainability, says Erik Svensson.

Previously, analysing vibration data required extensive manual work. Now, Mälarenergi uses AI to find correlations and patterns that could not be detected using traditional methods.

– When we get all the data together in the same system, AI will become a real game-changer. Then we will be able to see connections between operating mode, temperatures, wear and vibrations at completely new levels, he says.

Maintenance as the basis for sustainability

For Kristina Bäckstrand, maintenance is key to sustainability. By taking a more long-term approach to maintenance, resources can be used more intelligently, energy consumption reduced and the working environment improved.

– Maintenance is one of the most tangible examples of the sustainability work we do. We don’t want to replace equipment unnecessarily, we don’t want to run plants incorrectly, and we don’t want to create avoidable emissions. Optimisation itself is sustainability, she says.

Building a business that is sustainable in the long term requires a balance between economic, environmental and social dimensions, while at the same time giving employees the opportunity to make conscious choices in their daily work.

– The important thing is that everyone understands how their decisions affect the whole. Sometimes you have to choose, but often there are synergies. Maintenance is one of the clearest areas where these three dimensions meet, she says.

This is also about the ongoing choices and priorities that are made in daily maintenance work.

– For us in the maintenance organisation, it’s about reviewing the products and services we use in our day-to-day work and considering whether better alternatives are available. That said, it can sometimes be more sustainable to keep using certain products until they reach the end of their technical life rather than buying new ones. A sustainable transition requires good timing and needs to be allowed to take time, says Erik Svensson.

Cooperation as the key to future maintenance

As Mälarenergi looks ahead, its focus is clear. Maintenance will become more data-driven, more analytical and more automated, but will also be based on closer collaboration both internally and with external partners.

– Everyone is talking about AI right now, but the real question is what we do in practice. Things are moving fast and we want to stay ahead of the curve. That’s why we need to build capabilities internally while also working more closely with external partners. That’s how we generate real impact, says Erik Svensson.

For Kristina Bäckstrand, collaboration is a crucial issue for the future, not only within Mälarenergi but throughout the entire industry.

– As issues become more complex, we need to solve them together. We must develop the skills of our employees, but also find new ways of collaborating with suppliers and other stakeholders. These partnerships will become increasingly important in the future, she concludes.

Underhållsmässan 2026

Both Erik Svensson and Kristina Bäckstrand will be participating on stage at Underhållsmässan, the Swedish Maintenance Fair, where issues such as digitalisation, AI, sustainability and collaboration are high on the agenda.

The Swedish Maintenance Fair will take place on 10–13 March 2026 at the Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre in Gothenburg, with four focus areas that reflect the industry’s most pressing issues: sustainable maintenance, industrial safety, future production and competent maintenance.

Get free admission ticket