Finland-headed energy and forest industry technology major Valmet Oyj has announced that it is to deliver a district heating optimization solution to compatriot Okun Energia Oy’s Miilu heat plant area in Outokumpu. The solution will provide cost-effective, operator-independent control of district heating production and network operations.
Okun Energia is responsible for electricity distribution and district heating services within the Outokumpu area, ensuring a reliable energy supply for residents and businesses.
Valmet’s solution also plays a mission-critical role in efficiently using waste heat from a local data center, improving energy management, and optimizing performance across its district heating network, which serves a municipality of 6,000 people in Eastern Finland.
Around 2.7 million Finns live in buildings heated by district heating. Nationwide, district heating accounts for nearly 50 percent of the heating market, compared with a global figure of roughly 10 percent for buildings and industry.
In Finland’s largest cities, its share exceeds 90 percent. Okun Energia’s district heating network extends approximately 30 kilometers, supplying heat to buildings with a combined volume of over one million cubic meters.
Residual heat and biomass
The company’s heat is primarily sourced from waste heat from a local data center, as well as two fluidized-bed (FB) boilers fueled by local biomass.
The data center generates waste heat at a steady capacity of 3.7 MW, yielding up to 50 percent lower biomass consumption year on year.
The company’s total heating capacity is 55 MW.
We value Valmet’s delivery capabilities and its experience from similar optimization projects. District heating is a reliable, secure, and easy-to-use form of heating, and we want to ensure the best possible service for our customers. We believe that Valmet’s solution will help us further improve efficiency, optimize our operations, and maintain a high level of performance across our district heating network, said Nuutti Hakkarainen, District Heating Manager at Okun Energia.
Valmet’s delivery, the value of which has not been disclosed, includes the Valmet DNA District Heating Manager, enabling predictive supply temperature optimization and coordinated network pressure minimization.
Part of Valmet’s digital solutions portfolio for the energy and process industries, the solution ensures balanced heat production and consumption, reduces heat losses, lowers fuel and pumping costs, and supports the economical operation of the district heating network.
We are proud to deliver Valmet’s district heating optimization solution for our long-term customer, Okun Energia Oy, helping the power plant minimize overall costs through lower fuel consumption, more efficient energy use, and standardized production operations across the district heating network. I’m also happy to see how our solutions scale to meet the needs of customers of all sizes. This project is yet another strong example of how digital solutions create added value in energy production throughout the entire life cycle, from smaller installations to large-scale facilities, said Teijo Salonpää, Senior Sales Manager, Automation Solutions at Valmet.
