Foundation stone laid at the new biopower plant at Kerava

The foundation stone of the new biopower plant was laid at Myllynummi, Kerava on 13 August 2008. The construction of the power plant begun in January and the plant is scheduled for completion in the end of 2009. The total costs of the project are estimated at 65 million euros.

The plant is owned by Keravan Lämpövoima Oy, a subsidiary of Pohjolan Voima Oy, and all the energy will be supplied to Keravan Energia Oy. The power plant will produce electricity at the capacity of

The new biopower plant extends Pohjolan Voima's considerable biofuel programme to the metropolitan region for the first time. The aim is to enhance the use of renewable energy by utilising local bioenergy resources effectively.  

The power plant increases the use of domestic fuels and local energy production at Kerava as well as reduces the dependence of our energy supply on natural gas. The production of the plant will meet approximately 75% of the need for district heat in the town of Kerava and approximately 25% of the electricity supply of Keravan Energia.

The main speaker in the ceremony, Sirkka Vilkamo, Deputy Director General of the Energy Department of the Ministry of Employment and the Economy said that the biopower plant under construction is in many ways a fine example of a power plant that fulfills our common goals.

Timo Rajala, President & CEO of Pohjolan Voima Oy stated in his speech: "During the past 10 years, Finland has shifted from a surplus in self-sufficiency of electricity production into a situation where we are heavily dependent on imports. Therefore all domestic investments increasing our self-sufficiency are important. Kerava is a good example of this."

Jussi Lehto, Managing Director of Keravan Energia Oy stated: "The power plant under completion at Kerava is a significant step in the implementation of our company strategy. The Finnish and Nordic energy markets are developing in a direction which denotes that the future success of our company must be based on the continued increase of our own production capacity. In addition, the fuel selection of the plant diminishes the dependency of our companies on natural gas and offer us an opportunity to contribute with concrete measure to the environmental and climate improvements".

Further information:

Jari Niemelä, Director, Pohjolan Voima Oy, te. +358 50 3133 416

Jussi Lehto, Managing Director, Keravan Energia Oy, tel. +358 9 5849 5580

Risto Mäkinen, Managing Director, Keravan Lämpövoima Oy, tel.+358 400 445 028

Sami Kotimäki, Project Manager, Keravan Energia Oy, tel. +358 40 7433 706