Energia-uutiset

Text by Markku Niskanen
Finnish district heating
know-how exported to
Eastern Europe and China
Finpro, which promotes the international success of Finnish businesses, together
with companies engaged in the energy industry and the Finnish Ministry of
Employment and the Economy is carrying out a project used for marketing district
heating know-how in Eastern Europe, former CIS countries and China.
S
enior Consultant Helena Sarén,
who has been creating the project
within Finpro, says that the time is
right and the outlook is promising.
“Finland can provide a total package
which promotes the climate targets and
intensifies energy use. Being one of the
most progressive countries in district heating
globally, Finland has much to give to
others. International customers are offered
a value chain ranging from fuel logistics to
the distribution of district heat.”
Helena Sarén, who works in Finpro’s
team specialised in energy, the environment
and forests, assists enterprises in their international
expansion. She helps small and
medium-sized enterprises to embark on
the international market and contributes
to company-specific consulting, and she is
now guiding a larger group of companies
to international success.
“The district heating project, where
the country-specific surveys began in April,
involves 10 to 15 companies, which together
can offer a comprehensive plant supply. The
project encompasses enterprises specialised
in bioenergy, power plant machinery, district
heat production and transfer, and IT
expertise. Training expertise in the energy
business would make an interesting addition,”
Helena Sarén says.
On one hand, Helena Sarén admits
that the joint project is challenging, and
on the other hand she points out that the
34
Senior Consultant Helena Sarén standing
in front of Finpro’s office.
team providing the total package has better
chances of success.
“It is more and more difficult for individual
players to get involved in large
projects, because those planning energy
projects are interested in a package comprising
the entire power plant and distribution
system.”
Towards networking
The Ministry of Employment and the Economy
together with the participating companies
funds the project start-up phase, which will
last until the end of this year. In the future,
the project will progress from marketing
towards equipment deliveries, at which stage
the enterprises become more involved.
“Financial support from the government
is necessary in the start-up phase. Networking
would make no progress and no new cooperation
models could be created without
government support,” Helena Sarén says.
She expects networking and joint marketing
to bear fruit. Previous examples of
this include Cleantech Finland and similar
projects in Denmark and Sweden.
Eight countries
The project targets at eight countries with
the best opportunities and most potential.
“In these countries, the standards used
and the compatibility of district heating
production with Finland fall best into
place. The involvement of Poland, Czech
and Hungary is partly due to the fact that
construction projects to be launched in
these countries may receive co-funding
from the EU. Of the former CIS countries,
the project concerns Russia, the Ukraine,
Belarus and Kazakhstan. Surveys are also
made in China. As a result of good experiences
of co-operation, the Finnish district
heating concept can be later exported to
other countries, too,” Helena Sarén states.
She adds that this time the countries
in Western Europe were not as attractive