Seinäjoen Voima’s heat pump plant commenced commercial operation on 30 April 2026. Located at Seinäjoen Voima’s district heating plant site, the heat pump facility produces district heating and district cooling from wastewater at the neighbouring Seinäjoen Energia wastewater treatment plant.
The heat pump plant produces approximately 45 gigawatt hours of heat annually, corresponding to around 8–9% of Seinäjoki’s total district heating demand. The facility consists of three ammonia heat pumps with a combined capacity of approximately 5 megawatts.
The district heating and district cooling produced are used to heat and cool properties in the City of Seinäjoki. To enable deliveries, a main pipeline approximately 1.5 kilometres in length has been completed, extending from the heat pump plant on Puhdistamokatu to the Jouppi district.
For Seinäjoen Voima, this represents the company’s first-ever investment in heat pumps. The investment decision to build the heat pump plant was made in autumn 2024. Seinäjoen Energia was responsible for the design and construction of the main district heating and district cooling pipelines.
Seinäjoen Voima produces district cooling for the first time
The start of production also marks a milestone for Seinäjoen Voima, as the company is producing district cooling for the first time in its history. Large properties in Seinäjoki will now receive the district cooling they require centrally from the heat pump plant. Seinäjoen Energia is responsible for the delivery of district cooling.
“The production from the heat pump plant significantly supports the availability of both district cooling and district heating throughout the year in the Seinäjoki area,” says Pasi Salo, Managing Director of Seinäjoen Voima.
District heating and district cooling are produced using ammonia heat pumps, which are still relatively rare in heat production use in Finland. The ammonia used in the heat pumps is a natural refrigerant that does not generate emissions harmful to the climate or the ozone layer.
“Ammonia is well suited for heat pumps due to its excellent heat transfer properties and the smaller quantity required compared to many HFC refrigerants used in cooling equipment. Although ammonia is toxic to humans and mildly flammable, safety practices related to its handling are well established and well known,” Salo explains.
The heat pump plant provides additional emission-free production
The investment in the heat pump plant continues developments such as Seinäjoen Voima’s district heating accumulator and electric boiler, which have already significantly increased the company’s flexibility in heat production.
The heat pump plant also strongly supports the strategy of Seinäjoen Voima’s parent company, EPV Energy, to increase the share of carbon-neutral energy production across the Group. The facility reduces carbon dioxide emissions from Seinäjoen Voima’s heat production by up to 15,000 tonnes annually.
“The heat pump plant brings additional environmentally friendly, efficient and reliable heat production to Seinäjoen Voima’s operations. Investments in emission-free and flexibility-enhancing energy production solutions will continue in the future as well,” Salo states.
The project has received funding through Finland’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment from the European Union’s NextGenerationEU programme, covering 25% of the total costs. The total investment amounts to approximately EUR 7.7 million.
For more information: Pasi Salo, Managing Director of Seinäjoen Voima, tel. 010 505 5325
