PRESS RELEASE 14 June 2013
Fortum’s new biofuel-fired plant has been commissioned in Järvenpää, Finland.
The plant utilises biofuels to produce district heat for about 34,000 residents
in Tuusula and Järvenpää as well as electricity for the national grid. The
plant’s annual production is about 280 gigawatt-hours of heat and about 130
gigawatt-hours of electricity. The amount of heat production is equivalent to
the annual heat consumption of about 31,000 average-sized Finnish households.
Minister of Economic Affairs Jan Vapaavuori and Fortum’s Chief Financial
Officer Markus Rauramo inaugurated the biofuel-fired CHP plant on Friday, June
14th, in Järvenpää.
“One of the cornerstones of Fortum’s strategy is strong competence in combined
heat and power (CHP) production. CHP production is a very energy efficient and
low-emissions production form. Moreover, Fortum uses the most biomass for
energy production in the Baltic Region. That is another reason why the
Järvenpää CHP plant project aligns well with Fortum’s strategy. At the same
time, the plant supports Finland’s emissions reduction targets and increases
the use of renewable energy,” Fortum’s Chief Financial Officer Markus Rauramo
noted in the inauguration speech.
Normally, the plant uses only biofuel, mainly forest residues and forest
industry by-products, like sawdust and bark. If needed, the plant can also be
fuelled with peat and natural gas.
Every weekday, some 35 truckloads of biofuel are transported to the Järvenpää
plant. The fuel is locally sourced from an approximately 100-kilometer radius
from the plant. Acquiring, handling and transporting the fuel provides
employment for about 80 people.
Fortum invested about 80 million euros in the Järvenpää biofuel-fired plant.
During the past three years, Fortum has invested close to 300 million euros in
low-emissions energy production in the Helsinki metropolitan area. These
eco-friendly plant investments significantly decrease carbon dioxide emissions
in the region. Emissions from heat production will decrease by about 70% in the
region as a result of the investment.
Fortum Corporation
Corporate Communications
Additional information:
Jouni Haikarainen, Vice President, Fortum Heat Division, Finland, tel. +358 40
709 5690
Fortum media phone: +358 40 198 2843
Fortum
Fortum’s purpose is to create energy that improves life for present and future
generations. We provide sustainable solutions that fulfil the needs for low
emissions, resource efficiency and energy security, and deliver excellent value
to our shareholders. Our activities cover the generation, distribution and
sales of electricity and heat as well as related expert services.
Fortum’s operations focus on the Nordic countries, Russia, Poland and the
Baltics. In the future, the integrating European and fast-growing Asian energy
markets provide additional growth opportunities. In 2012, Fortum’s sales
totalled EUR 6.2 billion and comparable operating profit was EUR 1.7 billion.
We employ approximately 10,400 people. Fortum’s shares are quoted on NASDAQ OMX
Helsinki.
Additional information: www.fortum.com/fi