Sweden’s Land and Environmental Court has granted approval to Sweden Ballistics (SWEBAL) for the construction of a new trinitrotoluene (TNT) production facility in Nora.

The decision comes after an extensive regulatory review and clears the path for construction of what is claimed to be the country’s first facility of this kind since the Cold War.

In June, SWEBAL announced a €3m ($3.5m) investment for building the facility, after the submission of environmental approval documents to the Swedish Court of Environment in March.

The defence manufacturer can commence construction in 2026, maintaining its schedule to achieve full-scale TNT output by 2028.

Employing 50 staff members, the TNT production plant will comply with the Swedish safety regulations.

SWEBAL intends to obtain materials, equipment, and production inputs from suppliers located within 550km, focusing its supply chain in the Baltic Sea area.

This approach is expected to reduce reliance on distant sources and support ongoing, locally based manufacturing of explosive munitions.

The TNT production facility will use a production method called continuous nitration following its commissioning and will operate around the clock.

At full scale, the plant is expected to produce up to 4,500 tonnes (t) of TNT per year.

SWEBAL co-founder and CEO Joakim Sjöblom said: “This approval is more than a green light for construction. It’s a fundamental shift in Europe’s ability to secure its own defence supply chain.

“To achieve true security of supply, we must bring every part of the chain - not just assembly - back inside Europe and inside Nato territory. Today’s decision means Sweden can now build the TNT capacity that makes that possible. We’re ready to break ground and take the next major step toward a stronger, more resilient and self-reliant Europe”.

Last month, SWEBAL signed a letter of intent to supply domestically produced TNT to a Swedish-Ukrainian joint venture, Scandinavian X, for use in upcoming drone systems.