A wastewater tunnel beneath Malmö

A wastewater tunnel beneath the center of Malmö enables protection of our local water environment, addresses the challenges of population growth and an obsolete wastewater system. This allows more people to live and work here.

The planned wastewater tunnel from Turbinen in central Malmö to Sjölunda wastewater treatment plant is an approximately 5.5 kilometre main tunnel and two connecting micro-tunnels totalling approximately 2.4 kilometres. The wastewater tunnel will be drilled at a depth of 17-30 metres. This is so that wastewater will be transported by gravity to the wastewater treatment plant, where a large new pumping station will pump the wastewater from a depth of 30 metres up to the treatment plant.

Main tunnel
Location: Turbinen in Malmö–Sjölunda wastewater treatment plant
Length: approximately 5.5 kilometres
Depth: 17-30 metres below ground
Internal diameter: approximately 5 metres
Technical lifespan: 100 years

Microtunnels
Length: total approximately 2.4 kilometres
Depth: 17-30 metres below ground 
Internal diameter: approximately 2 metres

Sjölunda pumpstation
Capacity: 9 cubic meter per second
Location: next to Sjölunda wastewater treatment plant, will pump the wastewater from a depth of 30 metres up to the treatment plant.

Shafts
Number: a total of 11 shafts along the tunnel route
Size: 4-45 metres in diameter. The shafts along the tunnel route are 4-15 metres in diameter. The shaft closest to Sjölunda is 45 metres in diameter to build the new pumping station.
Depth: 17-30 metres below ground
Application: tunnelling, evacuation during the construction phase, connection of the existing pipe network, construction of a new pumping station and access for operation and maintenance.

Positive for the environment and growth

A wastewater tunnel beneath Malmö replaces the existing pressurised sewer system (pipes and pumping stations) and facilitates urban development and population growth. The wastewater tunnel also reduces the risk of disruption and overflow discharge from the combined pipeline network.

The community and environmental benefits may be summarised in several points:

• Robust, long-term transfer of wastewater from Malmö to Sjölunda wastewater treat-ment plant with higher capacity to cope with population growth
• Greater opportunities for urban development of Malmö as the wastewater tunnel will be built deep underground
• Less need for service and maintenance, reducing the risk of disruption in Malmö
• Less discharge of pollution into the canals of Malmö, the Malmö port area and the Öresund from the wastewater treatment system
• Lower risk of basement flooding near Malmö’s canals
• The tunnel will have a storage function that will relieve pressure on a new Sjölunda wastewater treatment plant, which means lower costs for the new treatment plant.

Learn more
Overflow discharge occurs when the pipes are overloaded. Untreated water is then released into the sea, rivers and canals.
We explain more about overflow discharges here