06-11-2024

Valmet to deliver critical control valve solutions for two district heating decarbonization projects in Finland

Valmet will supply critical control valve solutions for projects where Fortum is increasing its CO2 emission-free, electricity-based district heat production and utilizing excess heat from two large data centers in its district heating network. Valmet's valves will be used to control the flow of district heating water in two Fortum Power and Heat Oy’s heat pump plants to be built in the planned data center areas in Espoo and Kirkkonummi, and in an electric boiler plant under construction in Nuijala area, Espoo.

The orders are included in Valmet's orders received in the third and fourth quarter of 2024, with deliveries scheduled for the end of 2024 and spring 2025. The value of the orders is not disclosed. In addition to the valve solutions, Valmet will supply Valmet DNA automation technology for heat pump plants to be built in data center areas.

The new Nuijala heat production plant will use an electric boiler/heat storage combination to improve the operational efficiency of the entire district heating network, as the electric boiler allows discharging heat directly into the network and the heat accumulator can be charged with heat that is produced CO2-free across the network. The plants in the data center areas will recycle emission-free excess heat into the district heating network. Fortum’s district heat in Finland has been produced coal-free since the spring of 2024 and will reach carbon neutrality before 2030.

”Both the new Nuijala heat production plant and the excess heat recovery project from the future data center areas play a key role in transforming our district heat production carbon neutral. We wanted to partner with a flow control expert with strong technical expertise and service capability for maintenance. Valmet’s solutions have proven their reliability over the years in several of our previous projects”, says Teemu Nieminen, Director, Project Execution, Fortum Heating and Cooling Finland.

Electric district heating is based on replacing fossil energy sources with smart and flexible solutions that use e.g. excess heat from data centers and wastewater, renewable electricity, and heat pumps. In addition to the Nuijala site, a similar electric boiler/heat accumulator combination is under construction in the Kolabacken data center area in Kirkkonummi (in the photo). Additionally, electric boilers will be built in the Hepokorpi area. Photo design by Ramboll, courtesy of Fortum.

“We are excited be involved in these unique projects and to support Fortum in building carbon neutral district heat production in Finland. Control valves play a critical role in ensuring a reliable and flexible heat production process. Thanks to our long-standing cooperation, our service and maintenance model has also been fine-tuned to Fortum’s needs," says Mikko Tikka, Senior Sales Manager at Valmet's Flow Control business.