Fortum and Anora have signed a wind power supply agreement regarding the Kalax wind farm in Närpiö. The deal will allow up to half of the electricity used by Anora at the Koskenkorva distillery to be replaced by local wind power. The agreed-upon collaboration will continue through 2023–2025.
Wind power is one of the most important sources of renewable energy for the future, and the conditions for wind power production in Finland are excellent. The Kalax wind farm, with a total capacity of 90 MW, was commissioned in 2021 and consists of 21 wind turbines.
“Climate change mitigation and carbon neutrality are challenges that we all share. We are very pleased to support Anora in achieving its climate goals. Fortum’s goal is to build more emission-free wind and solar power. Implementing these projects, together with our customers, is of paramount importance to us”, says Kalle Kuokka, Fortum’s Head of Hedging and B2B.
”Anora's goal is to be a pioneer in sustainability and reduce the fossil CO2 emissions from its production operations to zero without compensations. This wind power agreement is a natural continuation of the previous investments in circular economy and bioenergy that reduce emissions at the Koskenkorva distillery. We have been working with Fortum for a long time and this agreement deepens our cooperation in a natural way”, says Miika Jokinen, Business Unit Director, Industrial Products & Services, from Anora.
Anora’s bioenergy plant has already reduced the emissions from the Koskenkorva plant by around 60 per cent since 2014. Meanwhile, geothermal energy accounts for 70 per cent of the energy used by Anora’s Gjelleråsen plant in Norway. At the Koskenkorva distillery – situated the village of Koskenkorva in Southern Ostrobothnia, Finland – grain spirit is produced following the principles of the circular economy, thanks to which Anora was awarded the title of Green Company of the Year in 2018.
Fortum’s strategic focus is on growth in zero-emission power generation and the building of partnerships with industrial and infrastructure customers. Fortum aims to increase its solar and wind power capacity to several gigawatts.
