Helen is building a pellet-fired heating plant in Salmisaari. Finland, with a fuel capacity of about 100MW.

The company has already selected Valmet to construct the plant under a €20m contract.

The facility will be situated at the site of a dismantled oil-fired heating plant in the Salmisaari power plant area. Works on the foundations are due to commence in late 2016.

When operating at full fuel capacity, the plant will combust about 21 tonnes of wood pellets per hour.

It will use 40,000 tonnes of pellets per year. With a district heat output of around 92MW, the energy it will generate is expected to heat 25,000 one-bedroom apartments.

Helen director Heikki Hapuli said: "Helen’s new pellet-fired heating plant is unique because it will be located in a densely built urban environment.

"We produce the best city energy in the world in a climate-neutral way in the middle of the city, explains."

The project will support the development of Finnish energy technology and increase the level of employment in pellet manufacture and logistics.

Helen is already working on recycling heat from waste water and by trapping heat from buildings where it is generated by people and the sun.