The objective of Växjö is to be completely free from fossil fuels by 2030.Växjö is a municipality in the province of Småland, southern Sweden, with a population of over 65,000. Despite its small size, the municipality has one of Sweden's most ambitious environmental programs. Växjö aims to be the greenest city in Europe and completely free from fossil fuel by 2030.

Actively pursuing this objective is the energy company Växjö Energi AB, owned by the municipality and responsible for the generation and distribution of district energy and electricity to about 7,000 households and businesses in the region. Through the efforts of the power plant, the use of fossil fuels in the municipality has been reduced by 54% per capita over the past 24 years.

Reliability and long life for the district heating network

Already now, most of the heat and electricity needed by the municipality are produced locally and mainly with the use of renewable resources. District heating is one of the key ways of achieving the zero target. In the summer of 2016, a district heating network renovation project was started in the centre of Växjö, where the DN 250, DN 400 and DN 500 lines were refurbished. Vexve valves and hydraulic actuators were chosen for the project by Växjö Energi.

Vexve valves are manufactured with respect to environmental values in the midst of Finland's pure countryside. Environmental responsibility is one of the most important pillars of production and a great source of pride for Vexve employees. As an ISO 14001 certified company, Vexve aims to reduce potential environmental impacts at all stages of production.

Vexve products delivered to the project

• Vexve long stem DN 250 ball valves, reduced bore
• Vexve long stem DN 400 ball valves, reduced bore
• Vexve long stem DN 500 ball valves, reduced bore
• Hydrox hydraulic actuators

With Vexve valves, Växjö Energi ensures the efficient and trouble-free distribution of heat in the town area. High-quality materials, maintenance-free design and long service life guarantee the entire life cycle of the network even in demanding conditions.

As with Vexve valves, Vexve Hydrox hydraulic actuators are designed to withstand demanding northern conditions. The hydraulic actuators mounted on the valves are easy to install due to their compact size. They are also safe to operate because the hydraulic actuator does not require electricity underground.

Convenient valve operation with remote control

At the end of Autumn two HCU Remote - control cabinets were delivered to enhance the renovated network valve control. Vexve HCU Remote is an electro-hydraulic control unit that enables valves with hydraulic actuators to be remotely accessed by the customer’s own control system. In the future, Växjö intends to control the town's energy infrastructure from the energy plant control room in addition to local control.

Vexve's Hydrox expert Akulauri Laine and Sales Manager Vesa Ylitalo were involved in the commissioning of control cabinets in January 2017. Actuators were connected with hydraulic hoses to the control cabinets on site and positioners mounted on the actuators connected with signal cables. Finally, a whole system test was performed. The installation of the whole control unit was easy and implemented within one working day.