Valmet Automotive has signed a supply contract for fossil-free district heating to the Uusikaupunki car plant. Together with the earlier supply contract for fossil-free electricity, the car plant has already reduced its CO2 emissions by 70 % since 2019. The car plant is aiming at carbon-neutral production by the end of 2021.
Valmet Automotive has entered into the contract with a local district heat supplier VSV-Energia for the Uusikaupunki car plant. Based on the contract, only fossil-free district heat produced by wood chips, biogas and industrial waste heat, is now used at the car plant. The production will be verified annually by a third party.
– Valmet Automotive’s carbon dioxide-free district heating supply contract is exceptionally large in Finland. The production of carbon dioxide-free heat has been our goal for a long time, and this agreement is an important milestone in the cooperation of VSV-Energia and Valmet Automotive, says Mika Salo, Production Director of VSV-Energia Oy.
In January 2020, Valmet Automotive signed a supply contract, under which the car plant is using only fossil-free electricity. With this measure, the car plant’s CO2 emissions were almost halved, and the introduction of fossil-free district heating will reduce the plant’s CO2 emissions to less than a third of last year’s level.
– Carbon-neutral production is a top priority for Valmet Automotive. It is our intention to be a leading sustainability company in our industry, and with fossil-free electricity and district heating, our car plant is approaching the goal of carbon-neutral production even faster than planned, says Pasi Rannus, SVP Manufacturing, Valmet Automotive.
The Uusikaupunki car plant will achieve carbon-neutral production by utilizing fossil-free and renewable alternatives in electricity and energy production, reducing energy consumption, improving energy efficiency and compensating for the remaining CO2 emissions with internationally standardized programs.
SOURCE: Valmet Automotive
