Why Now? Why Sweden?

Since New York enacted the Utility Thermal Energy Networks and Jobs Act in 2022, TENs have become an increasingly important component of the State’s building decarbonization strategy. As utility pilots advance from planning into early implementation, there is growing interest in learning from countries with a strong history of developing, operating, and continually improving connected thermal energy systems.

Sweden’s decades of experience with district energy offer valuable lessons for New York’s emerging TENs landscape. Advanced district energy systems across the country recover waste heat, integrate low-carbon energy sources, and optimize system performance through digital technologies, demonstrating how connected thermal energy infrastructure can support long-term decarbonization at scale.

BE-Ex and SEA launched an initial knowledge exchange in 2023, when a delegation of U.S. building leaders visited Stockholm to explore low-carbon building solutions. That visit identified thermal energy networks as a priority area for deeper exploration and laid the foundation for the continued collaboration that brought this year’s delegation back to Sweden.

2026 Delegation Highlights

Richard Yancey, CEO of BE-Ex, shaking hands with Caroline Asserup, Director General of SEA.

Over three days, delegates engaged with leaders across government, utilities, academia, and the real estate sector to better understand how Sweden has built its advanced district energy ecosystem. 

Discussions examined topics from national energy strategy and utility regulation to financing approaches and customer engagement, all of which have enabled Sweden’s district energy systems to evolve and excel. One particularly compelling discussion focused on Sweden’s Price Dialogue, a voluntary framework that brings utilities and customers together to discuss and review district heating pricing before rates are set. The model demonstrated how transparency and stakeholder engagement can build trust while supporting long-term investment in district energy infrastructure.

Sessions also explored the technologies underpinning Sweden’s energy transition, with examples of data center waste heat recovery, low-temperature district heating, digital optimization, and carbon capture. Conversations with industry leaders and decision-makers gave delegates the opportunity to examine operational strategies and cross-sector partnerships that make these systems successful in practice.

Delegates engage in a Roundtable discussion and exchange with Swedish industry leaders, investors, and innovators.

Site visits brought these concepts to life. For example, at Stockholm Exergi, delegates explored one of Europe’s largest district heating systems, learned about its Open District Heating model that captures surplus heat from data centers, and toured the Värtaverket combined heat and power plant, where a groundbreaking Bioenergy Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) facility is under development.

Visits to Norrenergi highlighted how utilities use digitalization, load balancing, regional collaboration, and wastewater heat recovery to optimize network performance while engaging customers as active participants in the energy system. Delegates also toured the Solnaverket district heating plant to see these strategies in operation.

In Nynäshamn, delegates learned how energy provider Adven partnered with the municipality and a local refinery to create a low-temperature district heating network that recovers industrial waste heat, thus demonstrating how long-term public-private collaboration can transform an industrial byproduct into a reliable energy resource.

Delegates visit Adven’s Nynäshamn Combined Heat and Power Plant.

Together, the breadth of the itinerary reflected the multidisciplinary collaboration required to advance thermal energy networks. By bringing together diverse stakeholders from both Sweden and New York, the delegation created opportunities to examine technical solutions alongside the financing and governance structures needed to successfully deploy them.

Continuing the Conversation

The 2026 delegation represents another milestone in the growing partnership between Building Energy Exchange, the Swedish Energy Agency, and the many organizations and agencies working to accelerate building decarbonization through thermal energy networks.

BE-Ex will publish a forthcoming report highlighting key insights from the delegation, lessons from Sweden’s district energy experience, and opportunities for TENs deployment in New York. As projects move from planning to implementation, continued collaboration and knowledge exchange will help inform the next steps towards strategic and scalable low-carbon solutions.

See the list of 2026 TENs Delegation Participating Entities HERE.