Tricon and Suvic to build a heat pump plant for Fortum in Espoo's Hepokorvi data centre area

Dovre Group Plc Press release March 20, 2024, at 1 pm

Tricon and Suvic to build a heat pump plant for Fortum in Espoo's Hepokorvi data centre area

A Working Association of Tricon and Suvic is building a heat pump plant recovering waste heat for Fortum's district heating network in the future data centre area of Espoo. Together with the previously announced heat pump plant in the Kolabacken data centre area of Kirkkonummi, the project will create an unprecedented scale of waste heat utilization.

The heat pump facility at the Hepokorpi data center utilizes waste heat and ambient air. It includes a recovery building housing heat pumps for heat recovery from the data center, air-to-water heat pumps, and electric boiler. The client for the project is Fortum Power and Heat Ltd.

"The Hepokorvi data centre is optimally located close to the district heating network. It is fantastic that we get to build both Fortum's Kirkkonummi and Espoo heat pump plants. The utilisation of waste heat complements our service portfolio for the construction of carbon dioxide-free energy production, which also includes wind power and solar power plants," says Ville Vesanen, CEO of Suvic, about the project.

The waste heat from data centres can replace a significant share of the fossil fuel based heat production in Espoo's district heating network area. In practice, the heat from the data centre's indoor air is transferred through a heat exchanger to water, which flows in a closed loop to the heat pump plant. Heat is transferred from the plant as required to the district heating system and to thousands of homes and other users. The aim is to produce heat from the 2025–2026 heating season onwards.

"The projects in Espoo and Kirkkonummi promote decarbonization, and at the same time, households, services, and businesses receive competitive, clean, and reliable electric-based district heating. Fortum's district heating in Finland will be carbon-free by 2024 and carbon-neutral before 2030," summarizes the benefits of the project Teemu Nieminen, Project Director from Fortum's Heating and Cooling Business.

"The site will be ready for installation in spring 2025. The construction of the Hepokorvi heat pump plant will be somewhat more demanding than the construction of the similar plant in Kolabacken, Kirkkonummi. This is due to the soil, the size of the Hepokorvi site and its location between the power lines and Ring III," says Jukka Kallio of Suvic, project manager for both projects.

For further information, please contact:
Ville Vesanen
CEO, Suvic Oy
Tel. +358 44 328 9928
vve@suvic.fi, www.suvic.fi

Ilari Koskelo
Vice Chairman of the Board, Dovre Group Plc
Tel. +358 40 510 8408
ilari.koskelo@navdata.fi

Dovre Group is a trusted global provider of project management services with locations across Canada, Finland, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, and the United States. Our professionals execute assignments all around the world. In 2023, the Group’s net sales were EUR 196.7 million and its operating result was EUR 7.4 million. The Group’s parent company Dovre Group Plc is domiciled in Finland and listed in Nasdaq Helsinki (symbol DOV1V). Dovre takes an active part in the green transition and contributes to an environmentally and socially sustainable future. Website: www.dovregroup.com

Suvic is a company founded in 2017 in Oulu, Finland, that operates in the Nordic countries with a special focus on renewable energy construction. It brings new, innovative practices to the industry through design, construction and project management. The company's current projects include Valrea's Kalistanneva and Matkussaari wind farms (Kurikka), Prime Capital's Sandbacka wind farm (Uusikaarlepyy and Vöyri), CPC Finland's Lakari solar power plant, EPV Aurinkovoima Oy's Heinineva solar power plant (Lapua) and Fortum's Kirkkonummi data centre heat pump plant. Website: www.suvic.fi