Electric boiler and solar power plant to enhance Mirka’s climate goals
Adven and Mirka have agreed on a project that will bring Mirka even closer to its climate goals. In addition to clean energy, Mirka will have access to a smart energy production control and reporting system. The project has also received support from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland.
Adven has been producing energy for Mirka as a service since the early 2000s.
At Mirka’s largest factory in Jeppo, Adven produces energy and steam at its energy plant. In addition, the service provided by Adven includes heat recovery and purification of process water from Mirka’s production processes.
The main fuel used in energy production is side streams generated in Jeppo’s production, such as waste pieces of sanding paper. The plant burns about 3500 tonnes of energy waste per year, and instead of ending up in landfills, the valuable side stream is converted from waste to steam.
Mirka’s factory area in Jeppo, Finland. Beside Adven’s energy site. Photo: Mirka.
In addition to the energy plant, Jeppo’s energy production is supported by a reserve plant that currently uses three different gases as fuel: LPG, biogas, and biomethane. The biogas used in the reserve plant is obtained through a trunk pipeline from the local biogas company, Jepuan Biokaasu Oy, whose biogas plant is located three kilometers from the Mirka plant.
Electrification of the reserve plant reduces emissions from energy production
The goal of the new project, which will start in the fall of 2023, is to focus on the energy transition of the reserve plant and to replace fossil liquid gas with electricity. The project has received support of approximately EUR 0.96 million from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland.
We constantly strive to improve the energy efficiency of our production and reduce environmental impacts in all areas of production. We are expanding our production facilities with growing demand, and larger production facilities also increase our energy needs. As the need increases, the use of LPG would also increase in our energy production, but with Adven’s solution, on the contrary, we can reduce the use of LPG.
Jari LembergMirka’s Project Office Manager
During the project, Adven will implement a 10 MW electric boiler for the reserve plant, which will be mainly responsible for the reserve plant’s energy production. Once completed, the new boiler will reduce carbon dioxide emissions from energy production by approximately 5,500 tonnes per year, which corresponds to annual emissions of 1985 internal combustion engine cars.
The electric boiler produces steam with green electricity, part of which is produced locally directly at the Jeppo factory. In addition to supplying the electric boiler, Adven is also building a 2.5 MWp ground-mounted solar power plant next to the factory. The power plant produces approximately 2,000 MWh of solar electricity annually.
Intelligent ERP and reporting system
During the project, Adven will also develop an intelligent ERP and reporting system for energy production. The system produces refined consumption data, from which Mirka can see the exact energy consumption and environmental impact of each of its production lines and departments in real time. The system also monitors hourly electricity prices and participates in Finland’s reserve and regulation electricity market.
In practice, the system enables energy production to always use a production form that is priceworthy and more environmentally friendly. When the price of electricity is high and the electricity grid is overloaded, the production switches to using biogas, and conversely, when the price of electricity is low and more electricity is produced than is needed, electricity is used.
“The system we have developed in cooperation with our partner provides online data on the customer’s energy consumption and environmental impact. The customer can allocate this data to the production volumes of their products per line or department. We believe that data brings a lot of added value, as it increases transparency and helps to count the carbon footprint of industrially manufactured products,” says Jani Moisanen, Account Manager at Adven.
The project is expected to be completed in late 2024.
Shortly about the project:
- 10 MW electric boiler
- Solar power plant producing solar electricity approx. 2000 MWh/year
- Cuts carbon dioxide emissions from energy production by about 5,500 tonnes/year
- ERP and reporting system to monitor energy consumption and the electricity market
- The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment supports the project
- The project will be completed in two parts: in spring 2024, the solar power plant is estimated to be operational, and by the end of 2024, the entire project will be completed
For more information:
Adven Oy, Jani Moisanen, Account Manager, jani.moisanen@adven.com
Mirka Oy, Jari Lemberg, Project Office Manager, jari.lemberg@mirka.com
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