Helen prepares to say goodbye to coal by introducing new clean production in Salmisaari
Helen has completed the trial runs of the new Salmisaari pellet plant and commissioned it for commercial use. At the moment, the company is also implementing test runs of new electric boilers in Salmisaari, during which they will already produce heat for Helsinki. The commercial use of the electric boilers will start during the current heating season. The new production plants are part of Helen’s clean transition investment package, with which the company will phase out the use of coal in its energy production. The Salmisaari coal-fired power plant will be officially decommissioned on 1 April 2025.
Helen is one step closer to phasing out carbon with its new electric boilers and pellet plant. The combined heat output of the two electric boilers is 100 MW and that of the pellet plant 153 MW.
In just a few years, the company has made a major leap from a significant coal user to a carbon-free energy producer.
"I am extremely proud of our achievement in the clean transition. Thanks to the related investments, we will completely phase out coal in April after the decommissioning of the Salmisaari coal-fired power plant, and our emissions will fall by more than 80 per cent from the 1990 level. This downward trend will continue as our investment programme progresses," says Timo Aaltonen, Senior Vice President, Heating and Cooling at Helen.
In recent years, Helen has invested significantly in clean transition solutions. However, this has not meant rising prices for customers; on the contrary, Helen has announced two price decreases for district heating since May 2024.
"The clean transition and cost-effectiveness go hand in hand, and the improved competitiveness of district heating is a tangible example of this. In addition, new forms of production have made it possible to make flexibility available to our district heating customers. This means consumption-optimising products that enable savings in terms of both energy and costs," says Aaltonen.
The official farewell of the Salmisaari coal-fired power plant will be celebrated on Tuesday 1 April 2025.