From a standing start to long-term energy planning in Blekinge
In just a few years, Blekinge’s five municipalities have gone from having no up-to-date energy plans to actively working with local energy planning. With support from Energy Agency Southern Sweden through the RECET project, the municipalities have developed new working methods, strengthened knowledge and built collaboration to better prepare for future energy needs.
The clean energy transition is changing the role of municipalities. Electricity supply, energy security, resilience, climate targets and local development increasingly need to be considered at an early stage of municipal planning.
In Blekinge, southern Sweden, this work has taken significant steps forward. When the process began in autumn 2023, none of the county’s five municipalities had an up-to-date, politically adopted energy plan. Today, all five are actively working with local energy planning.
Through the RECET project, Energy Agency Southern Sweden has supported the municipalities throughout the process, helping them create structure, build knowledge and establish energy planning as part of their long-term development.
Joint lecture on the theme of energy communities in spring 2024. Foto: Energikontor Syd
Building long-term working methods
Energy planning involves much more than producing a policy document. It affects several areas of municipal activity and requires reliable data, coordination across departments and strong local involvement.
During 2024, Energy Agency Southern Sweden supported the municipalities in establishing working groups and developing draft energy plans. The support has since been adapted to the needs of each municipality, covering areas such as statistics and baseline analysis, target-setting, priorities, communication and implementation.
“Energy planning is not just about producing a document. It is about creating a working method that lasts over time, where energy issues become a natural part of the municipality’s development and decisions,” says Anna Månsson, Energy Agency Southern Sweden.
The five municipalities are now at different stages:
Sölvesborg adopted its energy plan in January 2025 and is now implementing measures and following up progress.
Karlshamn adopted its energy plan in March 2026 and has moved into implementation.
Olofström submitted its energy plan for consultation in August 2026.
Ronneby and Karlskrona continue to develop and anchor their plans ahead of upcoming political decisions.
Collaboration and peer learning
An important part of the RECET approach has been creating opportunities for municipalities to learn from one another.
Through thematic workshops and peer-learning activities, municipal representatives have been able to exchange experiences, discuss common challenges and develop their energy planning alongside one another, while adapting their approaches to their own local circumstances.
The process has also strengthened long-term collaboration between the municipalities, Energy Agency Southern Sweden, Region Blekinge and the County Administrative Board of Blekinge.
For the municipalities, having access to external expertise and continuous support has helped maintain momentum throughout the process.
“We have received valuable support from Energy Agency Southern Sweden. They helped us keep the work moving forward and gave us someone to discuss both content and structure with throughout the process. Having an external party involved has been valuable in driving the issues forward,” says Helen Gårner, environmental coordinator and coordinator for energy planning in Sölvesborg Municipality.
From planning to implementation
The next step is not simply to complete the remaining energy plans. The focus is increasingly shifting towards ensuring that the plans are implemented, monitored and integrated into everyday municipal decision-making.
Energy planning can provide an important foundation for work across areas such as spatial planning, climate action, business development and preparedness.
For Karlskrona Municipality, the process has also demonstrated that the value of energy planning goes beyond the final document.
“Perhaps the most important outcome is not the document itself, but the conversations and collaborations that have emerged along the way. Through the energy planning process, we have brought together people with different perspectives around a shared vision, and that gives us stronger foundations for working strategically with energy issues in the future,”
says Emil Lind, Project Manager at Karlskrona Municipality.
Anna Månsson gives a lecture on energy planning to students at Blekinge Institute of Technology. Foto: Energikontor Syd
Wider benefits for the region
The work carried out through RECET is already creating benefits beyond the individual energy plans.
Sölvesborg Municipality received support in applying for funding from the European City Facility. The application was approved in 2025 and has helped the municipality begin implementing its energy plan.
Karlskrona Municipality has strengthened its staff resources in related areas, while Energy Agency Southern Sweden has also developed collaboration with students and lecturers at Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH) in the field of spatial planning.
By bringing energy planning into education, the collaboration can help ensure that the next generation of planners is better prepared to integrate energy issues into future spatial and municipal planning.
Building capacity for the future
Blekinge’s experience demonstrates how targeted support, knowledge sharing and collaboration can help municipalities strengthen their capacity to manage the clean energy transition.
In only a few years, energy planning in the region has moved from an area without a common structure to a more strategic and long-term process. The municipalities are now better equipped to consider energy needs alongside climate objectives, local development and resilience.
The progress also reflects a central ambition of RECET: strengthening local and regional capacity to take an active role in the clean energy transition and creating approaches that can continue beyond the lifetime of the project.