Helen to build Europe’s largest electric boiler plant in Hanasaari
Helen Ltd will build Europe’s largest electric boiler plant and a thermal battery consisting of two units in the Hanasaari energy block. Construction work will begin in spring 2025 and the plant complex will be commissioned during the heating season of 2026–2027.
The electric boiler plant has a capacity of 200 MW, consisting of four 50 MW electric boilers. The heat storage facility to be built next to the plant will consist of two heat batteries rising to a height of about 40 meters, with a combined capacity of 1,000 MWh. The heat storage facility can be both discharged and charged at 100 MW. One of the significant advantages of the heat production complex is the flexibility provided by it between the heat and electricity production sectors, which provides protection against energy price volatility.
“The plant, operating as a single complex, will be able to efficiently exploit the volatility of the electricity market by storing electricity at lower spot prices and then providing it as heat at a competitive price to our customers. On the other hand, heat storage can also be discharged, allowing it to offset the highest spot electricity prices. In addition, the plant’s production is climate-friendly as the electricity it uses is produced in a CO2-free manner,” says Juhani Aaltonen, VP, Green Investments at Helen.
The new complex will be built in the energy block in front of the decommissioned Hanasaari power plant building. The zoning of the block was completed last year and there are already other energy production facilities.
The site’s earthworks will begin in spring 2025 and the actual construction work will be started in the autumn of the same year. According to the schedule, the commissioning of the complex will take place during the heating season of 2026–2027.