EU team lands Monday to study new solutions

Finland will present its latest bioeconomy and clean energy solutions to an EU team comprising representatives of the parliament, EC, and member states arriving on Monday from Brussels on a two-day visit

Finland’s Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels is organising the visit in conjunction with the economic affairs and employment ministry, said a government press release.

During the visit arranged under the “Bioeconomy – Clean Energy Package Trip to Finland”, the EU team will learn about new innovations in bioeconomy and energy sectors, besides visiting Lappeenranta, Porvoo, and Järvenpää to see and learn firsthand about new energy production technologies.

Visits will be made to key enterprises that will present new practical bioeconomy solutions, sustainable forestry, and the best technology innovations and business operations in the sectors.

The visit will start Monday morning with a breakfast meeting with Housing, Energy and the Environment Minister Kimmo Tiilikainen in Helsinki. The meeting’s agenda include topical issues in the energy sector in the light of the Clean Energy Package being negotiated in the EU ahead of the September 19-20 Informal Energy Council in Tallinn.

Later in the morning, the visitors will head towards Lappeenranta, where Professor Antti Asikainen from the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) will orient them to the Finnish sustainable forestry.

The group will also visit UPM Kaukas mills, the world’s most diverse industrial mill complex that uses renewable raw materials to manufacture pulp, printing paper, sawn goods and biofuel. The side streams of the mill complex’s production system are used in a resource-efficient manner. The complex itself produces a significant share of the energy it uses.

On September 19 Tuesday, the visitors will be taken to the Old Town of Porvoo, where Finnish Forest Industries Federation will present new solutions offered by Finland’s forest-based bioeconomy. The visitors will then move on to Neste Kilpilahti refinery, one of the most diverse refineries in Europe, which is focused on producing clean, high-quality transport biofuel. It is also the world’s largest producer of biodiesel from renewable raw materials.

The itineraries of Tuesday afternoon include a visit to the Fortum CHP plant in Järvenpää. The highly energy-efficient combined power and heat generation plant uses forestry side streams, sawdust, bark, and horse manure as its raw materials. Fortum also has a project in Järvenpää aimed at developing batteries to store electricity.