“The third quarter marked an important milestone for Vattenfall. The sale of the lignite operations was a major step in adapting Vattenfall’s operations to new market conditions and a long-term sustainable energy system,” chief executive Magnus Hall said.

“We are now pursuing our efforts in forming the new Vattenfall with the customer in focus.”

Vattenfall’s net sales decreased slightly in the third quarter from a year earlier to SKr29.75m