Jan 8 2013
Jari Koskinen, the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, inaugurated the new bioenergy heating plant in Lohja, Finland, on 7 January 2013. The plant, situated next to Metsä Group's Kerto mill in Lohja is significant for energy supply in the area as the plant produces a combined annual total of about 160,000 MWh of heat to the Lohja district heating network, and process steam to the Kerto mill of Metsä Wood, part of Metsä Group.
Kari Jordan, President and CEO of Metsä Group, says that the Lohja bioenergy heating plant extensively promotes the Group's goal of making its production units more energy-effective and environmentally friendly. ”Metsä Group is an important producer and consumer of bioenergy. At the moment, already more than 80% of the fuel consumed by the entire Group is wood-based. Through the bioenergy heating plant, the annual carbon dioxide emissions of Metsä Wood's Kerto mill and the Lohja area will decrease by about 40,000 tonnes."
The bioenergy heating plant is also pivotal in improving the competitiveness of the Kerto mill because most of the previous coal-based heat production will be replaced by bioenergy heat. For fuel, the bioenergy plant uses the Kerto mill's by-products, and supplementary forest chips and other wood-based fuels. The carbon dioxide emissions caused by traffic in the Lohja region will also decrease.
Metsä Wood's Kerto® panels and beams, manufactured from lathed softwood veneer by gluing, have been used for many decades for wood structures where dimensional accuracy, rigidity and good load-bearing features are key. Kerto has been used at several locations throughout Finland, and it is also used extensively in the rest of Europe, such as Germany, France and Italy. Metsä Wood's Kerto mills are based in Lohja and Punkaharju, and their combined production volume is about 230,000 cubic metres.
The bioenergy heating plant was a joint venture worth about EUR 17 million. The plant constructor was Lohjan Biolämpö Oy. Its shareholders are Lohjan Energiahuolto Oy Loher (49%), Metsäliitto Cooperative (46%) and Ääneseudun Energia (5%). The project built a new boiler plant based on BFB technology and the related wood fuel reception and processing systems. The bioenergy heating plant was inaugurated at the start of the year after an 18-month construction project.