Högforsin Ruukki

Nevel makes the shift from oil to district heating possible

Nevel supplies district heating for the Högfors ironworks and other properties in the area totaling 60,000 square metres of floor space for businesses. Previously, heating was supplied by a dedicated heating plant that consumed over a million litres of oil a year. The Högfors ironworks property is now part of Nevel’s Karkkila district heating network, which includes about one hundred customers. Over 90 per cent of the fuel used for district heating is domestic.

Supplying district heating to a challenging location

The oldest heating technologies in the Högfors ironworks property date back to the 1950s, so in order to ensure they still work seamlessly with modern technology Nevel delivered a new converter to the premises of the former heating plant. In order to make heating even more efficient, Nevel is investigating if heat produced as a by-product from a nearby foundry could be used to supply district heating as well.

Ensuring compliance with regulation

The PIPO regulation in Finland sets out environmental protection requirements for power generation units below 50 megawatts. The regulation specifies requirements for many factors including emission limits, fuel storage, loading, wastewater treatment and the length of chimneys. In order to meet these requirements, upgrading an oil burning plant is possible, but it is often costly and difficult. By switching to district heating, the Högfors ironworks does not have to worry about whether they are in compliance with regulations – and also avoids the need for heavy investment to modernise the plant.

Benefits

Reliable heat supply
Increased sustainability
Domestic fuel

The transition to district heating as a whole was the easiest and most cost-effective solution. Now, Nevel is responsible for supplying heat – meaning we don’t have to worry about it.

Mika Stenberg

Supervisor, Valimokiinteistö