Helen’s carbon neutrality programme — steps towards even more sustainable energy production
Helen Ltd’s goal is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 and non-combustion energy production by 2040. To clarify these goals, the company has drawn up a carbon neutrality programme that provides the company’s stakeholders and the general public with a clear view of the actions Helen will take to build an even more sustainable energy system.
Helen’s goal is to build a fossil-free energy system that serves the company’s customers cleanly and reliably. Helen has also published a carbon neutrality programme that lays out the key aspects of the company’s emission reduction plan, complete with related actions and schedules.
"In the carbon neutrality programme, we discuss the concrete actions we will take to reduce CO2 emissions and dependence on imported fossil energy, as well as increase Finland's energy self-sufficiency. The transition to clean forms of production has also begun to be reflected in customer prices. This year, for example, we have been able to reduce the price of district heating, and we just announced that we will be able to continue to reduce the prices next year by as much as nearly six per cent on average when compared to the 2024 prices. We are now also able to provide our customers with the opportunity to optimise their own heat consumption by taking advantage of our newly launched product," says Timo Aaltonen, SVP, Heating and Cooling at Helen.
Helen aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 through a number of investments that include, for example, electric boilers, heat storage facilities, wastewater heat pumps and industrial-scale air-to-water heat pumps, as well as converting the Salmisaari coal-fired heating plant that was closed in spring 2024 to a pellet-powered plant, and utilising waste heat from data centres. The company has also started a nuclear energy programme with the aim of building a small-scale nuclear plant in Helsinki to meet the city's district heating needs and phase out combustion-based energy production in the 2030s. The company currently has investments in excess of 850 MW under construction.
"Over the past few years, we have deployed a large number of new forms of clean production, and we will continue the renewal of our production activities during the current heating season with the help of electric boilers and heat pumps, for example. Our investments will enable us to close the Salmisaari coal-fired power plant next spring. That will bring our CO2 emissions to just 20 per cent of the 1990 level and, by the end of the decade, our firm goal is to be a carbon-neutral company in terms of energy production," Aaltonen adds.