The technological equipment has been recycled to Fortum’s own power plants or sold as spare parts to other power producers
Fortum has demolished its old, decommissioned coal-fired power plant in Inkoo, Finland. (Credit: Fortum Corporation)
An era of Finland’s industrial history ended symbolically with the controlled implosion of the last chimney at Fortum’s Inkoo coal-fired power plant on 24 March 2020. At the beginning of June, Fortum’s Meri-Pori coal-fired power plant will transfer completely to the Energy Authority’s national peak-load reserve capacity system. From then on, there will be no coal-fired power plants producing only electricity in commercial use in Finland.
“We made the decision in 2016 to demolish the Inkoo coal-fired power plant, the biggest in the Nordic countries. It was the first large-scale decision in line with our strategy to totally phase out the use of coal in energy production. It’s great that the demolition work has now been concluded safely and with an excellent recycling rate,” says Pekka Lundmark, Fortum’s President and CEO.
The demolition of Inkoo’s large coal-fired power plant is an outstanding example of material recycling. Over 90 per cent of all the demolition material is likely to be recycled. The technological equipment has been recycled to Fortum’s own power plants or sold as spare parts to other power producers. There is a high market demand for scrap metal. The metal from Inkoo has been transported to various places in Finland for reuse. In spring 2018, a load of scrap metal was transported by ship from Inkoo to Turkey, where it was melted down and reused in the construction industry.
The concrete generated during the demolition work has been pulverised and cleaned. It will mainly be used to level the land in the power plant area and as filler material for the old ash basins.
The aim is to also “recycle” the old power plant area, located in Joddböle, Inkoo; it is an ideal site in Finland, and also globally, for a big data centre and the necessary support services. The area has a uniquely robust electricity network, the cooling infrastructure of the old power plant and a deep-water harbour. The location is within a one-hour drive to Helsinki and the Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport.
“We are working continuously to bring new industry to the area, which would bring new jobs to the old power plant region,” Pekka Lundmark says.
Source: Company Press Release