Suomen Aurinkovoima, part-owned by Oulun Energia, to build a large hybrid power plant in Nivala

Suomen Aurinkovoima Oy is building a large, industrial-scale hybrid power plant in Nivala. The project is worth around EUR 50 million. It includes an 80 MWp solar power plant and a 35-megawatt electricity storage facility built alongside it. This is the largest project Suomen Aurinkovoima has taken to implementation so far.

Oulun Energia owns Suomen Aurinkovoima together with Oulun Seudun Sähkö, Savon Voima and Vantaan Energia. Suomen Aurinkovoima focuses on building solar power in Finland. Its goal is to build dozens of new solar parks around the country by 2030.

“As an owner of Suomen Aurinkovoima, we are helping to build new solar power capacity for the long term. The Nivala project is a good example of the direction we have taken the company together with its other owners. We are moving towards larger projects that support the electricity system in more ways,” says Kimmo Nieminen, Head of Wind and Solar at Oulun Energia.

The Nivala project will significantly increase Suomen Aurinkovoima’s solar power production capacity. The solar power plant’s estimated annual output is around 77 gigawatt hours. That equals the annual electricity consumption of around 4,000 electrically heated detached houses.

The electricity storage facility adds flexibility to the plant. It allows electricity to be stored and then used on the electricity market when needed. The storage facility has an output of 35 MW and an energy capacity of 70 MWh.

Construction of the Nivala hybrid power plant will start in early 2027, and the project is scheduled for completion in 2029. It will be built by Oomi Solar, which has already delivered several solar power plants to Suomen Aurinkovoima.

Pictured: Jukka Kaarre (right), CEO of Suomen Aurinkovoima Oy, and Olli Tuomivaara, CEO of Oomi Solar Oy.