Welcome to Skellefteå. One of the most secure, stable and connected places in the world, an extraordinary location for data centre investment returns

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1 Welcome to Skellefteå. One of the most secure, stable and connected places in the world, an extraordinary location for data centre investment returns

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3 Welcome to Skellefteå. One of the most secure, stable and connected places in the world, an extraordinary location for data centre investment returns. Nestled in the north of Europe, you find Sweden a top performing and innovative nation. Look further north, to the most northerly part of Sweden, and you will find the region of Skellefteå the center of one of the fastest-growing regions in the world. Skellefteå, the second most specialized city in Sweden within the ICT sector, is the center of a highly productive region with strong and diverse business sectors. The region s abundant renewable energy resources, cool climate and world-leading digital infrastructure have made Skellefteå an attractive location for any global business. All this is combined with a great quality of life. Today the region offers one of the world s cleanest and greenest, most stable, safe and cost efficient areas for high tech investment. The region of Skellefteå The city of Skellefteå, bordering Swedish Lapland on the 64th parallel, is the ideal home for your data center. The city itself has huge advantages for business, with additional advantages coming from our close collaboration with Business Sweden, the official investment promotion agency of Sweden, and their team of ICT professionals. The city of Skellefteå is located in the most northerly part of Sweden, not far from the Arctic Circle. This area consists of the larger cities of Skellefteå, Luleå and Umeå, and several smaller communities, providing a catchment area of approximately 452,000 inhabitants (orange circle). The city of Skellefteå is located right at the center of this area. The region of Skellefteå consists of several small towns within commuting distance of the city, providing a catchment area of almost 140,000 people for this type of job. As a whole, Skellefteå Municipality has around 72,000 inhabitants. OSLO LULEÅ SKELLEFTEÅ UMEÅ STOCKHOLM HELSINKI 3

4 Power and Infrastructure. High-value and green. Robust, resilient and sustainable. 1

5 Decades of development in the region s mining, timber and energy industries has resulted in one of the most stable electricity grids in the world. Its capacity, redundancy and reliability are extremely high. Electricity prices in Sweden are among the lowest in Europe and Skellefteå is in the area with the lowest prices (electricity area 1). Energy taxes are also 34% lower in the north of Sweden than in the south. Almost all of the production in this region is generated from renewable energy sources. The electrical energy production in the Skellefteå River (Skellefte älv), is about the same as the Hoover Dam in the USA and generates 1030 MW of green electricity, free from CO 2 emissions. The river s hydroelectric power contributes an energy surplus of 50%, making it possible for industries in the region to increase their power consumption without increasing emissions. Bidding area 1 total negotiated energy price in Sweden. Over the course of a normal year, the company has an annual production of 3.9 TWh. Skellefteå Kraft can offer you 100% green energy, consisting of wind, biofuel and hydropower. Skellefteå Kraft has about 650 employees and 134,000 corporate and household customers in various parts of Sweden. Revenues for 2010 were USD 670 million (SEK 4,541 million), with an operating profit of USD 104 million (SEK 705 million). Skellefteå Kraft has the second largest electricity grid in northern Sweden, with the ability to guarantee fast access to the electricity grid. Their electricity grid is one of the most stable in the world, with an extremely high capacity, redundancy and reliability. Because the whole northern region is a national power supply hub, the area has unique expertise in the fields of energy efficiency, information technology and electrical science. In Skellefteå, Luleå University of Technology conducts research in the fields of sustainable resource usage, process IT innovation and green technology. World class fiber-optic and broadband infrastructure Skellefteå Kraft has excellent access to dark fiber for any need and any speed. Due to the accessibility of dark fiber, the city of Skellefteå has no limitation in either speed or capacity. There are fast regional fiber-optic connections to Finland and eastern markets via the Telia/Sonera Botnia Cable (2 x 622 Mb/s, 12 fiber). The city s importance as an IT hub is underlined by the large number of Swedish and international operators that have termination points in the center of the city. The national and international carriers operating here include Telenor, IP-only, Telia/Scanova, TELE2, TDC, Com Hem and Sunet. Skellefteå is a pioneer in the field of electronic communications. The extensive broadband accessibility has led to projects such as Sense Smart City and Mobile City two internationally acclaimed projects aimed at further developing digitalization in Skellefteå. Bidding area 3 Bidding area 4 Bidding area 2 Skellefteå Service providers fiber Skellefteå Kraft AB (Skellefteå Power Company) is the 5th largest energy production company in Sweden. It was founded in 1908 by the city of Skellefteå and is 100% owned by the municipality. It is stable, profitable and operates its own energy trading desk. In addition to its financial strength and the local tax subsidies in the region, Skellefteå Kraft has the opportunity to provide the lowest 5

6 Climate, Geology and Stability. Cool, stable and safe. 1

7 The north of Sweden is the most secure and stable place in the world climactically, geologically, politically, socially and economically. This combination creates an excellent base for the valuable information stored in data c entres. Seismic activity is also extremely low, as are temperatures. Climate - free air cooling all year around Geology Skellefteå is located by the coast in the most northerly part of Sweden, not far from the Arctic Circle. That means it has a subarctic climate, providing fresh air cooling all year round, except for some days during summer months (May-August). In 2012, the highest temperature was 26.9ºC (80.4 F) on one day. The average temperature (air) for the past eight years has been between 1.9 and 4.8 C ( F) Over the past 10 years there has been, on average, between one and nine days with temperatures above 27 C (80.6 F). For about six months, temperatures hover around freezing or drop well below. During this period, the natural chill in the air makes it energy efficient to house a data center here. This means that 97.5 to 99.9% of the days of each year are below 27ºC (80.6ºF), giving 8544 to 8730 free cooling hours per year out of the total 8760 hours available. Geologically, Sweden has the most stable bedrock in the world. Seismic activity and the risk of earthquakes are minimal, making the region eminently suitable for data centers that have very high demands on operational reliability. Thanks to our stable climate, the risk of wildfires is extremely low and there is no risk of f looding. Political stability The local political climate is more stable than in almost any other city in Sweden. The way in which the local economy has been managed has led to Skellefteå becoming the next wealthiest municipality in Sweden, after Stockholm. This stability is a good platform for investors looking for secure local leadership. Average temperature JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER Fahrenheit Celsius NOVEMBER DECEMBER 7

8 Communications National and international flights, railway and deep-sea port. 1

9 The city of Skellefteå owns the airport, which means that we are in a position to influence the destination of future flights. Skellefteå continuously works to introduce flights to new destinations, with both domestic and direct international flights. Skellefteå airport has several daily flights to/from Stockholm, with fast onward connections (less than 60 minute connecting time) to Gothenburg, Malmö and Copenhagen. The airport also has daily flights to most major European airports. We also have direct charter flights to the Mediterranean and direct scheduled flights to Girona (Barcelona), Spain and to Dubrovnik, Croatia during the summer season. Also direct flights to Copenhagen and London. We are in the unique position of having recently taken over ownership and management of the local airport and Skellefteå works hard to introduce flights to new destinations, both domestic and international. In addition to having its own airport, Skellefteå is also a mere 1.5 hour drive away from three additional airports. These offer direct flights to Malmö, Kiruna, Gothenburg, Stuttgart, Hannover, Munich, Frankfurt, Prague and Riga, and oneconnection flights to most major European cities. The various airports give access not only to Scandinavian flag-carrier SAS, but also to eight other airlines, some of them low-cost. The main highway, E4, connecting Helsinki in Finland with Lisbon in Portugal, runs straight through Skellefteå, providing easy access to the city by road. There is also a deep-sea port and railway connections for freight transport to the whole of Europe. 9

10 Competence and Business. The second most ICT intensive city in Sweden. 1

11 North Kingdom, a digital creative agency with headquarters in Skellefteå. Northern Sweden is one of the investment hotspots of Europe. Here, a mix of entrepreneurship, cutting-edge technology and several of the world s leading companies in a variety of fields are to be found. Facebook, for example, is building its first data center outside of the US a mere 90 minutes from Skellefteå. Due to its northerly position, the whole region of northern Sweden has the potential to become a global hub for data traffic. Skellefteå is the second most ICT intensive city in the whole of Sweden (Stockholm is number one). Sweden is ranked as number one in Europe with regard to technology readiness, ICT use, broadband quality and the usage of computers per capita. Skellefteå has many companies requiring the very highest quality ICT solutions available. Many of the companies work closely with other globally recognized companies and universities. represented in the expanding campus area. Umeå University and Luleå University of Technology have decentralized part of their research and education to Campus Skellefteå. Recently, the decision was made to also decentralize part of Linköping University to Skellefteå s campus area. Competence and skills The coastal regions are known for their higher education. In Skellefteå there are three universities and a business park 11

12 Skellefteå is located at the center of a region with approximately 450,000 inhabitants and the universities give access to research and to the 50,000 students in the region. There are a number of university programs and courses available at Campus Skellefteå that are connected to the ICT industry, for example: Computer networks Computer engineering and electronics Computer game production Computer system administration Applied system science Computer networks Computer technology Master s program in cross media interaction design Applied system science in design, interaction and innovation Skills Together with Finland, Sweden is the most connected country in the world. In this highly connected country, Skellefteå is the second most broadband connected city. This means that the population in general is technically skilled and businesses are working globally. Skellefteå Kraft has been commissioned to provide broadband services to households and businesses throughout the municipality, 50% of which are in outlying rural areas. The central areas have 100% broadband connectivity and the more rural areas have over 90% connectivity, with only the most sparsely-populated areas lacking broadband. Eighty-seven percent of all households have access to > 50 MB/s, and 75% are connected to > 100 MB/s. ICT Companies The ICT infrastructure of Skellefteå and the plethora of high-quality IT companies in a small, concentrated area are unique in Sweden. Among other things, Skellefteå has become internationally renowned for its local network of digital communication businesses that has attracted companies such as Disney, Coca-Cola, Adidas, Starwood hotels and Toyota, to name but a few. There is a large number of companies working within the information and communication technology sector in Skellefteå; therefore the number of people working with ICT is quite high in the region. Some examples are: Software development and testing Mobile networks Digital marketing / interactive design E-health User interfaces Chemical management Percentage of households with connection of more than 100 MB/s Business Skellefteå s economy is based on a large private sector. Relative to the size of the city, it has the largest private sector in our part of northern Sweden. The major heavy industries are mining (gold, copper, zinc, nickel), timber, energy and metal manufacturing. However, the fastest growing sector, in terms of the number of employees and new businesses, is the service sector, with ICT as its figurehead. The expanding service sector, which also includes growing retail and tourism industries as well as marketing communication and digital cross media, has, in fact, now overtaken heavy industry as the largest supplier of jobs. Many of our companies are global brand names and Skellefteå is a major export city with international visitors from all over the world. 12

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14 Sustainable Solutions. Wood processing and recycling of metals. 1

15 Reward-winning bridge, built in wood by Skellefteå municipality in co-operation with the university and Skellefteå company Martinsons. Skellefteå offers sustainable solutions for reducing environmental impact. Along with the local energy company Skellefteå Kraft, with its green energy production, Skellefteå has environmentally-friendly construction companies and recycling industries. Martinson is one of Sweden s largest family-owned wood processing companies and is a leading Nordic provider of building systems made from glulam and solid wood. By developing innovative construction solutions in wood, they are creating added value for their customers, while at the same time taking the responsibility to help create a cleaner environment. In the world of metals, New Boliden is operating one of the world s most efficient copper smelters, and for many years has been one of the world s biggest recyclers of electronic scrap. Their unique technique, which extracts high-purity metals at low cost, enables the recycling of metals from electronic scrap and other secondary materials with good environmental performance. New investments now provide the opportunity to increase the recycling capacity even further. Skellefteå has an extensive district heating system and there are future opportunities to discharge excess heat to the system. In the summer, the district heating system generates excess heat that could be used for cooling solutions. 15

16 The City and the People. Creative entrepreneurs with a great quality of life. 1

17 The business culture is strong and the economy is the strongest in the whole of northern Sweden, mostly thanks to innovative entrepreneurs who have the courage to follow through on their ideas. Skellefteå has a unique position since its economy is based on private enterprise. Here, you will find people who understand your needs when you start talking business. Entrepreneurship and creative spirit Quality of life and family friendly Skellefteå is alive, attractive and international. We have a history of entrepreneurship and creative thinking and many of our companies work internationally, with employees who live locally, but work globally. The great quality of life makes Skellefteå an attractive place for young entrepreneurs and creative people who enjoy having time for their family as well. Skellefteå is home both to companies well-established internationally and to companies on the rise. We are particularly well known for our high concentration of young people in the creative sectors of culture, music, interactive design, communication and marketing, digital media and computer gaming. Skellefteå provides a safe, stable and clean environment, as well as a wide range of leisure activities, combined with all the other activities a city can offer. All of these advantages working together attract families to settle here. In a recent research study, it was reported that the people of Skellefteå are the happiest and most content with their life in the whole country. There are many factors that contribute to this closeness to open-air recreation areas, the lowest crime rate in the country and the short distances between work and home are just some examples. The fact that people are content with their lives is an important factor in choosing a location where employees, once taken on, are likely to remain. 17

18 Conclusion. We hope that our presentation has given you valuable information about Skellefteå and convinced you to go further with us in your planning process. We have an experienced and dedicated team of experts standing by to make sure that you have all the support you need. Just send us an or give us a call we work our hardest to make sure business with us goes smoothly. Regional investment grants There are special regional grants available for some of the coastal cities in northern Sweden. Skellefteå is in the area that has access to special regional investment grants. Our supportive team of professionals will guide you through the administrative procedures. Kristina Sundin Jonsson City Manager Skellefteå Municipality Phone: Mobile: kristina.sundinjonsson@skelleftea.se Bengt Ivansson Head of Business Development Skellefteå Municipality Phone: Mobile: bengt.ivansson@skelleftea.se

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