Branding the wind
Kotka Energia is a energy services company that is 100 % owned by the city of Kotka, Finland. It supplies it's citizens with the heat and energy it needs, while making big cuts in the city’s emmissions.
"Wind in the sails" is the city of Kotka's slogan. When the city built a wind farm within walking distance to it's city center, they chose to make it into a welcoming and pleasant place (Photo: Energie-Cités).
The friendly wind farm
In 1999 Kotka constructed a small wind farm of two windmills near its city center. 32% of its funding came from The Ministry of Trade and Industry (today called The Ministry of Employment and the Economy), while a Danish company supplied the wind mills. This was the first wind farm of commercial-sized wind turbines by the Gulf of Finland. The harsh conditions during winter meant that the windmills had to be especially designed in Finland to withstand arctic conditions. But Kotka Energy did not only focus on engineering when constructing a wind farm within walking distance to its city center. They put a lot of energy into putting a human face on their new green energy resource. Instead of making the wind farm a restricted area, they paid attention to the landscaping and built a series of nature trails around them. Along the trails they placed artworks by students from the University of Industrial art, as well as signs informing about the nature in the area. The windmills even have names: Ilona and Ilmari, a result of a naming competition among the city’s children. To sell the energy from the wind farm Kotka Energy established a Luonto-Ilona-brand ("Nature Ilona"), which The Finnish Association for Nature has granted "Eco Energy" -status.
District Heating and Biofuel
The Luonto-Ilona-brand today also applies to electricity produced in the Kotka Biofuel Power Plant. In 2003, a €25m 65 MW biofuel power plant was built by Kotka Energy. This plant burns wood fuels and recycled fuel, producing the base load for district heating in Kotka as well as electricity for some industries. Because the plant is situated nearby the downtown of Kotka, it was paid special attention to procession of combustion gas. Combustion gas is decontaminated first by electric filter and then by combustion gas scrubber. Ash, particles and dust are removed by eletric filter (resolution 99,82 %, particles). Other impurities are removed by flue gas scrubber (total resolution for entire Plant 99,94 %).
Reduced emmissions
Another plant, The Hovinsaari power plant, was converted from coal to a combined cycle gas turbine using natural gas. Together, these plants save 100,000 tCO2 per year. A new municipal waste incineration plant is in development to produce industrial steam, electricity and district heat in the CHP process, and will reduce emissions by 80,000 tCO2. Kotka Energy's programme to cut emissions has resulted in 390,000 tCO2 in annual emission reductions – around 30% of the total emissions from all energy and industrial production in Kotka municipality. In 2006, the company achieved emission levels of just 120,000 tCO2 and plans for more wind plants and biomass gasification will reduce this even more, by reducing the amount of natural gas used.
More info
- The city of Kotka is highligted by the Clinton Climate Initiative as one of the best practices in the "energy" category.
- Port of Kotka was the first port in Finland to receive the WWF Green Office Certificate.
- Port of Kotka joins the EcoPorts network.
Further reading
Wind Energy in Finland by Managenergy
Case Study: Wind Energy - Demonstration plant by Managenergy
Read more about Finnish wind power
How another Nordic city, Oslo, cuts emissions through clever solutions
