A decision to terminate district heating for 21 households in central Övertorneå has sparked strong protests. Politicians like Knut Omark now regret their unanimous approval in February. The affected households have 18 months to find alternatives and are offered 10,000 kronor in compensation.
In February, Övertorneå's municipal council unanimously approved allowing Övertorneå energi to terminate unprofitable customers from the district heating network. The 21 affected households are on Lingonstigen and Åkerbärsvägen in the Turovaara residential area, plus a few on Matarengivägen. In Turovaara, a water extraction area, drilling for district heating is not permitted, complicating connections.
The district heating system was built 30 years ago in the small municipality of about 4,000 residents, where 260 of 2,099 households are connected. The company has instead incurred annual losses of 216,000 kronor and not amortized its loans, according to municipal councilor Tomas Mörtberg (C). "They are partly right, these affected ones, but it's to save the company. We have maybe 200-250 other customers, and the risk of just raising rates further is losing even more," says Mörtberg.
Protests have grown into a petition with 484 signatures and a citizens' proposal to be presented to the municipal council. The Health Care Party (SJVP) and Social Democrats have changed their minds and are working to overturn the decision. Knut Omark (SJVP), who lives in Turovaara, regrets it: "I made the wrong decision. Next time it could be me affected."
One example is Linnea Huhta and Tomas Andersson, who bought a house on Matarengivägen in 2023 and planned renovations. The termination notice in August halted everything. "It's like a wet blanket has been thrown over it all," says Andersson. They estimate an air-to-water heat pump costs 160,000 kronor, while compensation is 10,000 kronor. According to Mörtberg, district heating law means the company doesn't have to pay anything at all.