Oulun Energia is building a smart energy centre for Nokia’s needs—it produces cooling and utilises waste heat

Oulun Energia and Nokia have signed an agreement to build an energy centre in connection with Nokia’s facilities and production areas in Linnanmaa, Oulu, to be completed in 2025. The energy centre will provide the cooling required for Nokia’s operations. The waste heat produced by the cooling is utilised in Oulun Energia’s district heating network.

The size of the project is significant for Oulun Energia and for the whole Oulu region. There are only a few plants in Finland that are able to produce district heat from the waste heat of the space and completely optimise its energy flows effectively. This is a tangible example of a smart and environmentally friendly energy solution designed in close cooperation between Oulun Energia and Nokia.

“The utilisation of waste heat in the district heating network is part of Oulun Energia’s strategy towards carbon-neutral energy production by 2030. We want to be a part of creating an innovative, sustainable, and responsible energy system. It’s great to see how we are determinedly moving on our path towards our goals through projects such as these,” says Tommi Kantola, business director of energy services at Oulun Energia.

The energy centre being built by Oulun Energia will provide Nokia with the cold energy it needs. At the same time, the waste heat produced from the operation of Nokia’s energy centre is used to responsibly produce approximately 70,000 megawatt hours of carbon-neutral district heat per year. The district heat produced corresponds to approximately 4% of Oulun Energia’s annual district heat demand.

“Nokia’s new smart campus combines high technology with the principles of sustainable development. The innovative energy centre being built in connection with the campus has an important role to play in ensuring clean energy solutions; we are pleased to work together with Oulun Energia,” says Jarkko Pyykkönen, the director of Nokia’s Oulu unit.

Oulun Energia is designing and implementing the energy centre for Nokia as a service that includes building a heat pump plant, supplying cooling, and capturing waste heat for the district heating network. Construction work will begin late summer 2023 and the energy centre is to be finished and in production in early 2025.

Picture: ALA Architects