Vantaa Energy, Finland

SHARING SUCCESS

Vantaa Energy is one of Finland’s largest urban energy companies and is jointly owned by the cities of Vantaa and Helsinki. In 2009, Pöyry began engineering work on a groundbreaking waste-to-energy plant for Vantaa Energy which will start operating in 2014.

BACKGROUND down the amount of waste going to landfills. Vantaa Energy worked closely with Pöyry, This again reduces the amount of the strong SUCCESS FACTORS already a trusted engineering partner, to greenhouse gas, methane, which is pro- “The demands of this project have been envision a groundbreaking waste-to-energy duced when waste decomposes. unusually high,” noted solution for Helsinki Region Environmental Services Authority’s competitve bidding pro- CHALLENGE Kalle Patomeri, Project Director, cess. Their proposed solution was chosen Vantaa Energy needed an approach that Vantaa Energy; as it was seen to have the most advantage- maximised output while reducing overall “We wanted innovative engineering, ous total economic entity. CO2 emissions. Given that the plant is twice beautiful design and new levels of the size of the next largest waste-to-energy production. And Pöyry delivered on Currently, mainly fossil fuels are used in plant in Finland, the company needed a all fronts.” electricity and heat production in the Helsinki process that was predictable and timely. metropolitan area. Waste-produced energy will Furthermore Vantaa Energy wanted a Ilkka Lassila, Senior Project Manager replace some of this fossil production. The building design that moved away from the at Pöyry, added; “At the end of the day, carbon dioxide emissions from a waste-to- traditional box-based plant approach to it was the collaboration we developed energy solution is less than half of that of coal. something that was aesthetically pleasing with the Vantaa Energy team that made The utilisation of waste as energy also cuts to the community. the difference.” Vantaa

(M.Vuorisalo)

SOLUTIONS flue gas condensing to improve the Pöyry has worked with Vantaa Energy efficiency of the plant. Pöyry’s architectural KEY FACTS throughout the lifecycle of the waste-to- design literally goes “outside the box” Vantaa Energy’s waste-to-energy plant will energy power plant project. The company’s —departing from traditional plant designs produce both electricity and heat amounting involvement covers everything from the to feature structures that are both pleasing to approximately 920 gigawatthours (GWh) environmental impact assessment (EIA) to the eye and sustainable. and electricity to 600 GWh a year—about half and permits to engineering and procurement of Vantaa’s annual heating requirement. through to construction management services. BENEFITS And Pöyry is leveraging the strength of its The waste-to-energy plant will have a • The plant will burn 320,000 tonnes of global knowledge base to shape industry significant beneficial environmental impact waste per year—the equivalent of the yearly best practice. on Vantaa and the surrounding area. Thanks waste of about one million inhabitants of to the new plant, Vantaa Energy will use the capital region of Finland. The Pöyry team, collaborating closely with about 30 per cent less coal in electricity and Vantaa Energy, developed an innovative heat production. The plant will also substan- • The plant’s output will be approximately solution—one that has only been used in tially reduce the amount of household waste 78 MW of electricity and 120 MW of district a small number of waste-to-energy plants that will be landfilled. Overall, the approach heat. That’s enough power to keep before. It is based on a combined cycle will boost the plant’s efficiency to more than 200,000 two-room apartments lit and process using a gas turbine coupled with 95 per cent. 100,000 heated.

• Waste is to be combusted with grate-fired technology. Grate-firing is one of the main technologies in combustion of source separated waste for heat and power production. The benefits are that it can be designed for firing a wide range of fuels of varying moisture content, and requires less fuel preparation and handling.

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