Fortum’s Inkoo coal-fired power plant demolition project is nearing completion. The last of the power plant’s four boiler buildings was imploded on 14 November 2019 and one of the two chimneys on 27 November 2019.
The only remaining structures at the site are unit four’s turbine hall and stairway tower, and one of the two power plant chimneys, one of the water treatment plants and the cafeteria. The remaining structures will be demolished in the upcoming winter and spring.
Inkoo power plant’s four 250-MW units were built in 1974-1978. With its thousand-megawatt production capacity, Inkoo was the biggest coal-fired power plant in the Nordic countries.
Fortum’s mission is to engage our customers and society to drive the change towards a cleaner world. In line with this goal, Inkoo power plant’s number four unit was decommissioned in 2013 and the three remaining units in 2014. The decision to demolish the coal-fired plant that had been in operation for 40 years was made at the beginning of 2016. The demolition work started in spring 2017. It is estimated that the demolition and levelling work will be completed in 2020. In line with its mission, Fortum will discontinue the use of coal. In autumn 2019, the company announced the discontinuation of coal use in Espoo’s district heating production in 2025.
Demolition material is recycled
The aim has been to recycle as much of Inkoo power plant’s demolition material as possible.
“We have reached our goal of recycling as much of the demolition material as possible. According to follow-up statistics, so far we have managed to recycle close to 92% of all the demolition material,” says Fortum Project Manager Juha Tella.
From coal power to data centres and solar power
After the demolition of the old coal-fired power plant, the power plant area will not go unused; it too will be “recycled”. Fortum is working on a wide front and actively creating the prerequisites to bring significant new industrial activities and hundreds of new jobs to the area.
The Joddbölen area is one of Europe’s best locations for a big data centre, for example. The area has a very robust and reliable electricity grid and the opportunity to utilise the infrastructure that was built back in the day for the power plant’s needs.
“For data centre players, energy efficiency and eco-friendliness are important decision-making criteria. In Inkoo, the electricity network provides CO2-free electricity, and, if necessary, it’s possible to build a big solar power park of tens of hectares in the area. At this point, we are not aware of any investment decisions related to data centres or solar power, but we are confident that the transformation from coal power to new industry will happen in Inkoo,” says Fortum’s Antti Kaikkonen, Head of Strategy and R&D.
Video demolition of Inkoo coal-fired power plant