New bioenergy plant opens in Finland

The Finnish minister of Agriculture and Forestry Jari Koskinen inaugurated a new bioenergy heating plant in Lohja, Finland this week (7 January).

The plant, situated next to Metsä Group's Kerto lumber mill, will produce an annual total of 160,000 MWh of heat to the Lohja district heating network, with additional processed steam going into the neighbouring mill.

More than 80% of the fuel consumed by the entire Group is wood-based so this bioenergy heating plant will help decrease the annual carbon dioxide emissions of the Kerto mill, and the Lohja area in general, by about 40,000 tonnes,’ says Metsä Group CEO Kari Jordan.

The €17 million ($22.1 million) bioenergy plant was a joint venture split between Lohjan Energiahuolto Oy Loher (49%), Metsäliitto Cooperative (46%) and Ääneseudun Energia (5%). It was constructed by Lohjan Biolämpö Oy over a period of 18 months.