Imatra Heat and Stora Enso waste heat project — The heat pump plant located in the factory area has an output of approximately 15 MW and an annual production of 100 GWh of district heating, which is equivalent to more than half of Imatra's district heating production.

Waste heat project nearing completion - district heating production has begun

The implementation of the forest industry waste heat project is in the commissioning phase and district heat production has begun.

In autumn 2023, Stora Enso's Imatra mills and Imatran Lämpö launched a project to recover waste heat from wastewater from the Imatra Kaukopää mill for use in the district heating network.

The project will diversify Imatra's district heating production and support low-emission production, as well as help control costs, ensuring a more stable district heating price. The heat pump plant will replace more than half of Imatra Heat's wood procurement, and is equivalent to approximately 1 truckloads of energy per year. At the Imatra factories, the project will facilitate the management of the factory's wastewater temperature, thereby helping to reduce environmental impact. In February 000, the Ministry of Employment and the Economy (TEM) granted three million euros in EU RRF investment support for the project.

CEO Vesa-Pekka Vainikka is pleased with the energy cooperation established between Stora Enso's Imatra mills and Imatran Lämpö.

—Waste heat is an excellent source of district heating. Our project also involves a completely new type of implementation that benefits both parties and at the same time supports the vitality and environmental goals of the city of Imatra, says Vainikka.

The new district heating pipeline, over five kilometers long, from Virasoja to Kaukopää was completed in November 2024. The transfer of the heat pump plant's prefabricated containers to the factory site took place in January-February 2025, after which commissioning began in stages. District heat production from the plant to the grid began in late April.

Vainikka states that the project was interesting in terms of its technical concept, but also challenging:

—The planning, implementation and commissioning of the project has required top expertise and a large amount of work from all different actors.

CEO Vainikka thanks the personnel at Stora Enso's Imatra mills for their excellent cooperation and the main equipment suppliers for their flexibility in implementing the challenging project.

Waste heat project nearing completion - district heat production has begun - Imatran Lämpö Oy