Potential opportunities in the north of Finland
The Climate strategy of Northern Ostrobothnia aims that the county will try to prevent the climate change and to adapt to the effects it will cause. This strategy will bring together the aims of the international and national climate strategies and apply them to the local circumstances and methods in the Northern Ostrobothnia so that the county will also try to cut strongly the greenhouse gas emissions in the future. The main principles are environmental, social and economic sustainability. Climate strategy is implemented so that the measures will improve the wellbeing, quality and standard of life of the local people and that they will provide new business opportunities.
Northern Ostrobothnia is energy intensive county due to northern climate, long transportation distances and the structure of the industry in the area. The degree of self-sufficiency is rather high, over 50% when considering the energy production and consumption of the area (without steel industry). Weakness is, that e.g. industry and traffic is mainly based on fossil fuels. The aims in the future are to strengthen the local, decentralized energy production, to decrease the greenhouse gas emission according to the strategies, and to improve the energy efficiency. This will be done with new openings and by using new technology and by improving the degree of refining of renewable energy sources. The most effective and fast way to decrease the climate change is to improve the energy and material efficiency and to save the energy.
The aims of the Energy strategy of Northern Ostrobothnia are that the energy field will be important part of the economy of the Northern Ostrobothnia and that the knowhow in the energy issues in the area is strong. The conditions will be good for the production of the renewable energy sources, and hence, the production of renewable energy sources is diverse and efficient. The consumption of heat and electricity and part of the traffic fuel will be covered with own energy sources. Local environmental and climatic effects of the energy production will be taken into account. Also energy saving and energy efficiency will be improved.
The actions of the energy policies in Northern Ostrobothnia are the reduction of the emissions, the utilization of the renewable energy sources and measures to improve energy efficiency. The centralized energy and heat production will still be based on local fuels (peat, wood) in the future but the wood is estimated to become the main fuel instead of peat. When utilizing the natural resources, it is important to take care of the environmental and social impacts.
It is also estimated, that the decentralized energy production and hybrid methods are becoming more important in the future in rural and sparsely populated areas. Aims are to invest in the energy efficiency measures in order to decrease the energy consumption of the area and to improve the utilization of the local energy resources. That will also improve the employment situation and commercial and industrial life of the Northern Ostrobothnia. Goals are to promote large-scale investments in the energy production, to launch the new programs of bioenergy use, and to pilot the new energy solutions and energy efficient construction.
Northern Ostrobothnia – County plan and County programAccording to the County plan and County program of Northern Ostrobothnia, municipalities have the key role when aiming to have energy efficient and low-carbon county of Northern Ostrobothnia. Low-carbon community demands new types of action in land use and traffic planning and construction. County has opportunities to profile itself as nationwide expert in the implementing energy efficient building.
Public sector will be the pioneer when implementing the energy efficient solutions and when preparing the action plan to improve the energy efficiency and to increase the use of renewable energy sources. Also possibilities of the use of the local renewable energy sources will be researched. There will be more diverse and efficient ways of the energy information sharing to the constructors, companies and inhabitants. There will be internationally interesting eco areas with energy efficient solutions, production of renewable energy and smart energy solutions. In area planning, new renewable energy source solutions will be promoted and innovative, energy and material efficient solutions will be advanced.
Climate strategy of Lapland sees the climate change both as an opportunity and threat. Climate change need to be considered in the main aims of Lapland: to increase its population and to provide new vacancies in the area of mining and tourism. It is inevitable that climate change will cause threat to local nature and livelihood. In the future, services need to be provided in the warmer climate. Lapland has ample amount of natural resources which provides possibilities to clean energy production.
The most important aims of the strategy in the future are that people will think about the climate change when they are acting, natural resources will be used sustainably, planning, construction and traffic will be environmentally conscious, greenhouse gas emissions of energy production will decrease, the energy production, infrastructure and industry will be planned in coordination, and there will be training about climate change.
Lapland has abundant energy resources and, hence, it produces energy for its own needs and for the rest of Finland as well. The energy sources in Lapland are hydropower, local wood fuels, peat and waste liquor from the forest industry. Lapland’s self-sufficiency in electricity production is slightly more than it needs. Over 90 % of electricity production is from renewable energy sources. In population centres heat is supplied to the district heat networks.
As Lapland has large energy resources, it is possible to further increase energy production in a sustainable way. Also the northern specific conditions give a good basis for development of new innovative solutions and local know-how both in energy production and consumption. Energy visions in Lapland are sustainability and self-sufficiency. The main objective is to utilize Lapland’s abundant energy resources so that local knowledge and regional economy will develop and energy solutions support Lapland’s vitality. Lapland will invest in competitive energy solutions which support livelihood and regional economy. Energy resources will be utilized in a way that the environment and Lapland’s unique nature will be respected. Energy production will be based on several different production technologies and fuels.
Companies in Oulu Area
Oulu Waterworks is a company operating as a water supply plant as intended in the Finnish Act on Water Services. Oulu Waterworks delivers drinking water of good quality to its customers and takes care of wastewater collection and treatment as well as storm water drainage in rural areas within its operation area. By doing this, natural waters and other neighbourhood stays clean. Oulu Waterworks consists of two surface water intake plants, about 20 ground water intake plants, two wastewater treatment plants and network of domestic water, wastewater and drainage water pipes.
Customer service: + 358 8 558 43800,
Mailing address: PO Box 35, 90015 Oulun kaupunki, Finland
Oulun Energia is the leading energy company in Northern Finland. Its operations cover the entire value chain of the energy industry from the production of raw materials, electricity and heat to sales and distribution of energy and a wide range of services including smart energy services, network management, subcontracting and maintenance services. The electricity Oulun Energia is providing, is produced using raw materials from Northern Finland. They also are partners in co- owned production companies and purchase electricity from the Nordic electricity pool. Electricity contracts are available through our power sales company Oulun Sähkönmyynti Oy.
Customer service: +358 8 5584 3100,
Mailing address: PO Box 116, FI-90101 Oulu, Finland
OULUN ENERGIA Website
Kiertokaari (previously The Oulu Waste Management Company) is a public-service company, which is responsible for waste treatment, coordination of waste transportation and waste education and supplementary services. Tax money is not used for the operations; the waste management operations are funded by the fees collected from the delivery of waste to the Rusko Waste Management Center and funds received from the sale of methane gas produced at the Waste Management Center, and from other services. Kiertokaari serves 13 municipalities and about 300 000 customers.
Customer service: +358 8 5584 0010
Mailing address: Kiertokaari Oy, Ruskonniityntie 10, 90620 Oulu