BlueKolding
BlueKolding A/S is a municipally owned Danish utility that operates 5 wastewater treatment plants and 2,200 km of sewer infrastructure for 60,835 households in Kolding Municipality, pioneering energy recovery from wastewater and climate-adaptation technology.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersKolding, Denmark
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
BlueKolding firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- BlueKolding
- Legal name
- BlueKolding A/S
- Website
- https://bluekolding.dk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- BlueKolding A/S is a municipally owned Danish utility that operates 5 wastewater treatment plants and 2,200 km of sewer infrastructure for 60,835 households in Kolding Municipality, pioneering energy recovery from wastewater and climate-adaptation technology.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
BlueKolding industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Municipal Water and Wastewater Utility Services
- NAICS
- Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Sewage Treatment Facilities (22132), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131), Totalizing Fluid Meter and Counting Device Manufacturing (334514)
- SIC
- Water Supply (4941), Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900), Sanitary Services (4950), Totalizing Fluid Meters & Counting Devices (3824)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Water & Wastewater Utility IoT (SCADA, Leak/Quality Monitoring) (EUADAPAK), Water Systems & Treatment (Pumps/Boilers/Water Heaters/Filtration) (IMAIABAK), Water & Wastewater Treatment Plant Equipment (Clarifiers, Aeration, Membrane Systems) (IMAHAEAJ)
Keywords
Where BlueKolding is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kolding
- HQ country
- Denmark
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
BlueKolding business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Wastewater treatment fee (Vandafledningsbidrag): BlueKolding charges households a regulated fee for wastewater collection and treatment. This is the primary revenue stream as a municipal utility company operating under monopoly conditions. The fee is based on water consumption, with price kept stable through operational efficiency.
- Water supply (Christiansfeld): Through subsidiary BlueKolding Vand, the company provides drinking water supply to Christiansfeld, delivering 275 million liters of fresh drinking water annually to consumers.
- Energy production and sales: BlueKolding produces electricity from wastewater treatment and sells excess power when electricity prices are high through the Hubgrade system. Also produces biogas from sludge for electricity production.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Standard wastewater tariff for all households in Kolding Municipality |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
BlueKolding product offering
Product offeringCore offering
BlueKolding operates as a municipal utility company providing integrated wastewater collection and treatment through 5 treatment plants and 2,200 km of sewers across Kolding Municipality, processing approximately 15 billion liters of water annually. The company also delivers drinking water supply via subsidiary BlueKolding Vand in Christiansfeld, manages stormwater and rainwater systems, and runs climate adaptation projects. Additionally, BlueKolding has developed proprietary technology platforms (BlueGrid, BlueOverview, Hubgrade, PREACT, Karla AI chatbot) and operates the world's first wastewater turbine to recover renewable energy from treated effluent.
Product overview
BlueKolding is a municipal utility company providing integrated environmental, energy, and climate services for Kolding Municipality in Denmark. The company operates as a multi-product utility comprising: core wastewater treatment services (5 treatment plants processing ~15 billion liters annually), maintenance of 2,200 km of sewer infrastructure, rainwater management, and drinking water supply (via subsidiary BlueKolding Vand in Christiansfeld). Technology platforms include BlueGrid (intelligent energy management), BlueOverview (overflow monitoring with 100+ meters), Hubgrade (digital sewage system control), and Karla (AI chatbot for customer service). The company also operates the world's first wastewater turbine for renewable energy production and offers educational programs through BlueLearning. Climate adaptation projects (Brændkjær, Hylkedalen) and the PREACT precipitation forecasting system represent recent technology innovations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Wastewater Treatment Services (Spildevandsrensning) Collection and treatment of wastewater for households and businesses in Kolding Municipality through 5 treatment plants, processing approximately 15 billion liters of water annually. Customers pay a regulated fee of 43.06 DKK per cubic meter (2025 rate).
- Sewer System Management (Kloaksystem) Operation and maintenance of approximately 2,200 kilometers of sewer pipes across Kolding Municipality, handling transport of rainwater and wastewater from properties to treatment plants.
- Rainwater Management (Regnvandshåndtering) Services for managing rainwater drainage from properties and streets, including separate sewage systems, climate adaptation projects, and retention basins to prevent flooding and overflows.
- BlueKolding Vand (Drinking Water Supply) Subsidiary responsible for drinking water supply in Christiansfeld, operating a waterworks inaugurated in 2019 that delivers 275 million liters of fresh drinking water annually to local consumers.
- Climate Adaptation Projects (Klimatilpasningsprojekter) Climate adaptation projects to protect Kolding against flooding and overflows, including separate sewage systems, retention basins, dikes, drainage channels, and watercourse restoration in areas like Brændkjær and Hylkedalen.
- PREACT Precipitation Forecasting System Cloud-based precipitation forecasting system using radar and weather model data to predict rainfall in treatment plant catchments, enabling proactive water retention planning and overflow reduction. Sold as a standalone cloud product to other treatment plants.
- Karla AI Chatbot AI-powered customer service chatbot available 24/7 on bluekolding.dk, providing instant automated responses to common customer questions in multiple languages to reduce phone wait times and free human agents for complex inquiries.
- Thermal Energy from Wastewater (Termisk energi fra spildevand) Recovery and supply of thermal energy from wastewater to heat buildings (including youth housing in Kolding Åpark) and public benches, contributing to climate-neutral heating solutions.
Quantifiable outcome
- Electricity production from wastewater turbine sufficient for 150 households annually
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use BlueKolding
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
BlueKolding technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability4 records
Feature5 records
BlueKolding partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Munkensdam GymnasiumminorEducational collaboration where students developed rainwater collection prototypes for Global Goals Programme competition, winning 3rd place. Project provided inspiration for BlueKolding's climate projects.
- Kolding MunicipalitycoreOngoing collaboration on climate adaptation projects including Brændkjær climate project and Hylkedalen project. Co-financing and shared project management of major infrastructure investments.
- AAB/Bovia (housing association)corePartnership in climate adaptation project in Brændkjær covering approximately 1,200 rental units. Residents were involved through workshops to contribute ideas for rainwater handling solutions.
- NEPTUN Project Partners (22 partners)coreDanish-German cross-border collaboration including universities, utilities, municipalities, and business organizations to strengthen the water sector and exploit growth potential in water, wastewater, and climate adaptation sectors. Project period: March 2020 to February 2023.
- Energi DanmarkcorePartner in BlueGrid project - a public-private innovation project focused on smart grid, smart pumps, and demand-response for energy optimization and smart control of consumption and production of electricity.
- Krüger (Veolia)coreProject partner in BlueGrid developing intelligent control systems for BlueKolding's drainage system, treatment plant, and energy-producing/consuming units based on weather models and radar forecasting. Also developing PREACT cloud product for sale to other treatment plants.
- Southern Denmark University (SDU)minorFacilitating BlueKolding's innovation project regarding connection errors at new developments and sewer separation projects as part of the NEPTUN collaboration.
- Per Aarsleff A/ScoreContractor executing major infrastructure projects including supplementary outlet pipeline from wastewater turbine to Lillebælt. Responsible for construction work valued at approximately 5 million kr.
- Museum KoldingminorCollaboration on historical artifacts discovered during construction projects. WWII items found during rainwater bed installation were donated to the museum for exhibition.
- Ågård EfterskoleminorStudent collaboration on IBO project to prevent incorrect items being flushed down toilets. Students proposed technical solution of 'cotton swab filter' in pipes.
- Statens Serum Institut (SSI)minorCOVID-19 wastewater monitoring partnership where BlueKolding conducted daily sampling to track infection spread in the local area. State covered costs of monitoring.
Scale indicators13 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
BlueKolding competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Veolia Water Technologies: Global water treatment technology company and BlueKolding's partner in the BlueGrid project (via Krüger) — a broad incumbent whose digital control (Hubgrade) and forecasting technology has been deployed at BlueKolding and can be benchmarked for industry positioning.
- Trefor: Multi-utility serving the Triangle Area of Denmark with electricity, water, wastewater, heating, fiber, and waste — broader incumbent with overlapping water/wastewater capabilities as part of a wider utility portfolio.
- SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions: Global water and wastewater treatment solutions provider — broad incumbent comparable to BlueKolding's technology platform ambitions (smart water, treatment optimization, asset management) at global scale.
Direct peers
- HOFOR: Large Danish municipal multi-utility serving the Copenhagen area with water supply, wastewater, heating, and district cooling — directly comparable as a Danish municipal water/wastewater utility with smart energy integration and climate adaptation mandate.
- Din Forsyning: Multi-utility serving Esbjerg and surrounding municipalities in Denmark with water, wastewater, heating, and waste services — directly comparable as a Danish municipal utility group with regulated monopoly structure.
- Aarhus Vand: Municipal water and wastewater utility serving Aarhus, Denmark — directly comparable as a Danish municipal water utility with a similar regulated monopoly structure, treatment plant operations, and customer scale.
- VandCenter Syd: Municipal water and wastewater utility serving Odense and surrounding municipalities on Funen, Denmark — directly comparable as a Danish municipal water utility with similar asset base, regulated tariffs, and treatment plant operations.
- Kalundborg Forsyning: Danish municipal multi-utility serving Kalundborg with water, wastewater, heating, and waste — comparable as a smaller Danish municipal utility focused on industrial symbiosis, energy recovery, and circular resource use, similar in philosophy to BlueKolding.
- Forsyning Helsingør: Danish municipal utility serving Helsingør with water supply, wastewater, and waste services — comparable mid-sized Danish municipal water/wastewater utility with similar regulatory framework and customer base characteristics.
Emerging players
- SAMSO Energy Academy: Danish renewable energy and circular economy organization on the island of Samsø — thematically aligned with BlueKolding's energy-from-wastewater and climate adaptation innovation narrative, representing an emerging player in Denmark's renewable utility ecosystem.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
BlueKolding social profiles
Digital presenceBlueKolding financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
BlueKolding leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
BlueKolding subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
BlueKolding funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
BlueKolding M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about BlueKolding
What does BlueKolding do?
BlueKolding operates as a municipal utility company providing integrated wastewater collection and treatment through 5 treatment plants and 2,200 km of sewers across Kolding Municipality, processing approximately 15 billion liters of water annually. The company also delivers drinking water supply via subsidiary BlueKolding Vand in Christiansfeld, manages stormwater and rainwater systems, and runs climate adaptation projects. Additionally, BlueKolding has developed proprietary technology platforms (BlueGrid, BlueOverview, Hubgrade, PREACT, Karla AI chatbot) and operates the world's first wastewater turbine to recover renewable energy from treated effluent.
Is BlueKolding a public or private company?
BlueKolding is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was BlueKolding founded?
BlueKolding was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is BlueKolding based?
BlueKolding is headquartered in Kolding, Denmark, in the Europe region.
How does BlueKolding make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Wastewater treatment fee (Vandafledningsbidrag) is the primary driver. The others are water supply (Christiansfeld) and energy production and sales.
Who are BlueKolding's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Veolia Water Technologies, Trefor and SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions. Direct peers are HOFOR, Din Forsyning, Aarhus Vand, VandCenter Syd, Kalundborg Forsyning and Forsyning Helsingør. SAMSO Energy Academy is listed as an emerging player.
Does BlueKolding have an API?
No public API is recorded for BlueKolding.
What industry is BlueKolding in?
BlueKolding's product category is Municipal Water and Wastewater Utility Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIACAG, Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration, with a secondary code of EUADAPAK, Water & Wastewater Utility IoT (SCADA, Leak/Quality Monitoring). Its NAICS code is 2213 and its SIC code is 4941.