Sustainable Development Success Stories
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CSD-6: Sustainable Development Success Stories |
| Location | Finland |
| Responsible Organisation | Imatran Voima Oy (IVO) Group. |
| Description | The project s purpose is to combine heat and power production (CHP) totalling electrical capacity of 1600 MW and thermal capacity of 2200 MW based on versatile fuels (coal, gas, peat, oil, biomass, industrial waste). The project was implemented in co-operation with pulp & paper industries, other process industry and municipalities using various partnership and commercial arrangements. CHP plants have a high overall efficiency of 80-90 % compared to 30-40 % for conventional condensing power plants, thus using the energy resources efficiently and reducing the environmental burden. They use simple and efficient emission control technology resulting in low emissions into atmosphere and amounts of waste. E.g. emissions of CO2 can be reduced by more than 50 %. The need for cooling is also minimised. |
| Issues Addressed | Energy, Changing Consumption and Production Patterns. |
| Results Acheived | Rauhalahti CHP plant (fuel input 295 MW) was awarded ISO 14001 Environmental Management Certificate in 1997, Toranki CHP plant (fuel input 27 MW) was cited for the peat drying process by the European Better Environment Awards for Industry in 1998. Finland is one of the world's leading developers and users of CHP technology, the amount of energy generated in CHP plants representing about 35 % of the total power supplied in Finland. |
| Lesson Learned | A wide range of fuels including low quality fuels and industrial and municipal wastes can be utilised. This enables improved levels of energy self-sufficiency, which is particularly and increasingly important in developing countries. CHP plants, which have 28 year experience in Finland, are cost-effective given low investment costs. They are reliable and have a high level of availability, enabling uninterrupted energy production. As highly automated operations they require minimal staffing which keeps operation and maintenance costs low. |
| Contact | Mr. Kari Huopalahti, Imatran Voima Oy (IVO) Tel. (358 9) 8561 4400, Fax (358 9) 532 706 E-mail: kari.huopalahti@ivo.fi |