Lappeenranta is turning green

LAPPEENRANTA IS A PIONEER CITY IN RENEWABLE ENERGY AND CLEAN ENVIRONMENTS WITH PASSIONATE PROBLEM-SOLVING AS ITS FORTE. WE ARE THE CLIMATE CAPITAL OF FINLAND FULL OF HIGH ENERGY, OUT-OF-THE-BOX THINKING AND INTERNATIONAL EXPERTISE. IN LAPPEENRANTA WE DARE. AND DO.

Lappeenranta is striving to generate growth and new business operations, particularly in the fields of renewable energy, circular economy and water technology.

– Through municipal decision-making, we can impact public procurement and investments, land-use, energy production and emissions, thus reducing the environmental impact of society and enabling businesses to show what they can do, says Development Director Markku Heinonen.

More than 95% of waste produced in Lappeenranta is already being recycled and the material utilisation of waste is high. More than 80% of district heating in Lappeenranta is produced in a biopower plant. The city is continuously improving the energy efficiency of its own buildings, taking account of the environmental impact of its own procurement and encouraging residents to do the same.

Lappeenranta was the first city in Finland to start using 100% renewable electricity. The city encourages its residents to produce solar electricity by offering to purchase surplus electricity, and also installs solar energy equipment in buildings owned by the city. In Finland, the Lappeenranta region is the leading area in solar power installations.

– The promotion of sustainable development and growth in all South Karelia is led and implemented through Greenreality Network which involves local businesses, municipalities and the LUT Group, says Development Manager Noora Hakkarainen.

The Greenreality Network is coordinated by the Greenreality services of the City of Lappeenranta. The goal is to develop the concentration of energy and environmental businesses in South Karelia and attract experts and business operators to the area.

The pilot projects carried out in Lappeenranta are aimed at global business operations that would benefi t everyone: environmental technology businesses gain references, the city is closer to achieving its green goals and the image of the city gets a lift.

Instead of traditional solutions, Lappeenranta is boldly looking for new kinds of technologies for the processing of wastewater and municipal waste, for example. Projects of national signifi cance include the Kukkuroinmäki recycling business activities, improvement of the water quality in Lake Saimaa, biogas and methanation plants producing renewable methane and the development of the energy system with a virtual power plant and a new kind of heat accumulator.

In environmental and energy matters, the city’s key partner is LUT University. Companies that have emerged from LUT’s research projects already employ hundreds of people.