1 Newsletter 1/2013 Climate and Energy Programme of North Karelia 2020 Locally – Renewably – Efficiently This is the first Climate and Energy The Climate and Energy Programme the situation, a questionnaire on Programme of North Karelia news- of North Karelia 2020 was adopt- the Programme was sent to mem- letter. The aim is to publish a news- ed in August 2011. The Programme bers of the steering committee and letter at least twice a year. It will sets out targets and measures for work groups, as well as to several contain details on current meas- energy production and consump- other key actors in North Karelia in- ures under the Programme and tion in connection with communi- volved in the Programme’s imple- help to implement and monitor it. ty structure, agriculture and for- mentation. The results of the sur- estry. Because it has now been 18 vey will be used to monitor the months since the Programme was Programme, to assess the effective- adopted, the time has come to ness of measures and to plan the start monitoring the Programme’s allocation of funding during the implementation in a more system- forthcoming programming period. atic manner. The Regional Council of North Karelia is the body that The targets set for the Climate Paikallisesti – Uusiutuvasti – coordinates the monitoring of the and Energy Programme need to Vietävän tehokkaasti Climate and Energy Programme. be achieved. This will require a ro- Pohjois-Karjalan ilmasto- ja energiaohjelma 2020 bust approach to monitoring the To monitor the Programme’s imple- Programme and, above all, to im- mentation, it is necessary to exam- plementing the measures con- ine what measures have been tak- tained within it. The objective is en in this area since the Programme to respond to the challenges fac- was adopted and what measures ing the climate and energy sector Julkaisu xxx 2011 are presently under way. To assess Locally, Renewably and Efficiently! Advice on energy for consumers in North Karelia Instant advice and information on energy has been tion on energy-efficient solutions and heating options available for consumers in North Karelia for the past as early on as possible during the planning stage. But two years, with help from the energy specialist Mo- the advice is also a way to keep people up-to-date on tiva. This will continue, as Motiva will also be availa- the potential for renewable energy and on energy effi- ble for assistance in 2013, and some decisions in prin- ciency in housing. The target groups in the project are ciple have been taken for continued cooperation at therefore builders and those interested in the possible least until 2016. benefits of renewable energy, as well as households in general. For more information on advice on ener- Advice on energy is coordinated by the Regional gy, events in the industry and the latest news, visit: Council of North Karelia, and those agencies main- ly involved in giving advice and information are the www.bioenergianeuvonta.fi Building Regulation Departments of the mu- nicipalities of Joensuu and Kontiolahti, the Finnish Forest Centre, Public Ser- vices North Karelia, the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment for North Ka- relia, and, a newcomer, the Mar- tha Organization in North Karelia. Other partners include Joen- suu Science Park and North Karelia Electricity. A key aim in providing ad- vice and information on en- ergy in North Karelia is to improve the quality of con- struction and persuade de- velopers to focus atten- 2 North Karelia produces clean and renewable local energy Eno Energy Cooperative: bioenergy “from root to boiler” The wood energy enterprise has a broadband channels and heating sys- ing energy by providing woodchips for strong and broad base in Finland. The tems. Cooperatives as a type of busi- a heat production plant. The encour- first bioenergy plant was incorporated ness are also used to help organise the aging example of neighbouring mu- in 1992. The number of heating plants retail trade. nicipalities helped promote the idea has increased greatly in the last few of introducing a new woodchip heat- years. There were already 490 heating The idea of bioenergy-based heat- ing system. The main reason for start- plants in Finland in 2010, and the num- ing in the Eno region was widely dis- ing a new form of power production ber of bioenergy heating boilers has cussed among policy-makers and for- was that policy-makers and municipal been growing even more quickly. In est owners in the 1990s. Even still, it officials had a very positive attitude to- North Karelia, there are approximate- took many years to introduce a heating wards using renewable sources of en- ly 35 bioenergy plants, which are man- system based on woodchips. In 1997, ergy. However, policymakers also har- aged by energy entrepreneurs. The av- the municipal council of Eno included boured many prejudices against forest erage amount of power that bioenergy a paragraph about energy wood utili- owners wanting to become heating heating plants produce is 580 kW. Co- sation in its strategy. While the idea of entrepreneurs. After few years of dia- operatives and limited companies con- gaining an eco-friendly image for the logue and consideration, the constitu- trol 55% of wood energy plants, while municipality was appealing, the main tive meeting of the Eno Energy Cooper- 45% are managed by separate firms point was to start using local energy ative was held in 1999 and number of and companies in association with one to replace oil heating in the Eno area. founding members was 12. All of the another. One of the biggest aims for the mu- members were forest owners. nicipality was also to provide jobs for A cooperative is modern form of en- the people living in town. At the same The objective of producing clear and lo- terprise that combines collaboration time, forest owners were trying to get cal renewable energy was coming true and know-how. The owners of coop- a better price for energy wood. Actu- and the cooperative and the munici- eratives are equal decision-makers and ally, there was not sufficient demand pality each committed themselves to each one has one vote. A cooperative for energy wood at that time. support this mission. The municipali- is a flexible type of enterprise, and it is Initially, only a few farms used wood- ty pledged to invest in a heat produc- possible to start one with only a small chip energy in the Eno region. The first tion plant and to buy the energy that investment. As a form of business, it meeting concerning woodchip energy it would generate and the cooperative is suitable for many fields of opera- was held in 1996. The main aim of the promised to take care of the operative tion. In Finland, cooperatives have built meeting was to produce district heat- actions, from acquiring raw materials 3 to providing heating energy for cus- more in the future. For example, the 6. In 2004, the next heating plant tomers. The distribution of labour was process of acquiring raw material could and heating pipe system was clear: the municipality would work as be done together with other cooper- built in Eno’s lower village in the the investor and the cooperative as the atives. same way as the Uimaharju heat- operator. Later on, after earning money ing plant. Boilers: 0.8 MWth + from selling heating energy, the coop- Timeline 1.2 MWth with 1 MW heating oil erative bought the first heating plant 1. The first meeting in 1996 burner as backup system; Heat from the municipality. Altogether, the 2. The constitutive meeting in 1999 production: 6 500 MWh a year; Eno Energy Cooperative invested ap- 3. Commercial operation started in Heated volume: 123 238 m3, cov- proximately 2.5 million euros in heat- 2000 at Eno’s upper village heat- ering the municipal office build- ing plants and pipe systems during the ing plant. Boiler: 0.8 MWth (heat- ing, the health centre, the fire first twelve years. ing oil as a backup); Heat produc- station, the old people´s home, tion: 2 500 MWh a year; Heated business premises and thirteen ter- The Eno Energy Cooperative has sever- volume: 53 562 m3, covering the raced houses; Fuel consumption: al partners, of which the municipality primary and secondary school approx. 10 500 loose-m3 of wood- of Eno (later the city of Joensuu) is the buildings, the library, sports hall chips; Fuel storage: 300 loose-m3 most important. The Centre for Eco- buildings, terraced houses and the 7. In 2010, the city of Joensuu sold nomic Development, Transport and the church; Fuel consumption: approx. the heating plant and its heating Environmental provided financial sup- 4 000 loose-m3 of woodchips; Fuel network in the upper village to the port for the project. The Forest Centre storage: 100 loose-m3 cooperative. of North Karelia helped study the ben- 4. The cooperative was given the Pro 8. In 2011, the Uimaharju heating efits of producing woodchip energy. Countryside award in 2002. The plant network was expanded. New company’s rating is AAA heating customers included four One remarkable benefit of starting the 5. The cooperative built a heating terraced housing cooperatives and cooperative in Eno has been the level of plant in Uimaharju in 2002. It has two private housing cooperatives. collaboration with other cooperatives, been owned by the Eno Energy especially with the Tuupovaara Ener- Cooperative from the start. Boil- In 2012, the total power production of gy Cooperative, which was founded in ers: 1 MWth + 1 MWth (1 MWth the three heating plants in Eno is equiv- 1996.