In the granite bedrock beneath the port of Oxelösund is an immense underground oil storage facility. It was excavated in the 1950s as a private enterprise to store oil for the power station in Västerås. The seven storage tanks hold between 100,000 and 220,000 cubic metres each, making an impressive total of around a million cubic metres of oil in all.
The tanks are cut directly into the bedrock and are around 40 metres deep; they are heated to between 40 and 50 degrees Celsius to ensure the oil remains fluid. The Swedish Government mandated that part of the storage during the Cold War was made available to the military. Today the tanks are used to store oil until global prices are attactive enough to the shippers.
Sub Brit had a fascinating visit to the site in 2011, descending down spiral staircases to inspect the facility. The complex bore more than a passing resemblance to some of the epic underground caverns often used in James Bond finales.