Lohja Bioheat Plant Commissioned
Metsä Group's new bioheat plant at its Lohja Kerto-facility has been commissioned, providing heat for the local district heating network and process steam. The plant significantly reduces carbon dioxide emissions.
Finland's Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Jari Koskinen, officially commissioned the new bioheat plant in Lohja on January 7, 2013. The plant, constructed adjacent to Metsä Group's Kerto-facility in Lohja, is crucial for the regional energy supply, producing approximately 160,000 MWh of heat annually for Lohja's district heating network and process steam for the Metsä Wood plant.
The facility is set to significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions. According to Kari Jordan, Executive Vice President of Metsä Group, the plant will decrease CO2 emissions from the Metsä Wood Kerto-facility and the Lohja region by approximately 40,000 tons per year. This initiative aligns with the group's objectives to enhance energy efficiency and environmental sustainability across its production sites. Currently, over 80 percent of the group's fuel consumption is already wood-based.
The bioheat plant also strengthens the competitiveness of the Kerto-facility by largely replacing the previous coal-based heat production. The fuel used includes the facility's own by-products, forest chips, and other wood-based fuels.
The project represented a joint investment of approximately EUR 17 million. Lohjan Biolämpö Oy served as the project developer, with shareholders including Lohjan Energiahuolto Oy Loher (49%), Metsäliitto Cooperative (46%), and Ääneseudun Energia (5%). The plant commenced operations at the beginning of the year, following an eighteen-month construction period.