Vantaa Energy expanding its emissions-free heat production: electric boiler and thermal battery for the Martinlaakso Power Plant

Vantaa Energy is aiming for carbon negative energy production by 2030. District heating produced with renewable electricity is an excellent way to take advantage of price fluctuations in the electricity market and produce emissions-free heat for the district heating network. The recently launched project will build a 60-MW electric boiler and a 500-MWh thermal battery at the Martinlaakso Power Plant site.

The industrial-scale electric water heater, or electric boiler, is a new production form in Vantaa Energy’s heat generation portfolio. The construction of the 60-MW electric boiler and the 500-MWh thermal battery planned for the Martinlaakso Power Plant site is a continuation of our investments in increasingly competitive heat production. The thermal battery will be able to store hot water. Work on the project got underway in autumn 2023 and the boiler and thermal battery are scheduled for completion in late 2025. The cost of the project is estimated at around EUR 10 million.

“It is strategically important for us to ensure that energy is circulated as smartly as possible. One way to think of it is turning cheap wind power into heat to warm the homes of Vantaa residents. Once the seasonal thermal energy storage project is realized, we could also store wind power in our huge storage facility. We’ll be able to produce heat with electricity when it is cheap and with other means when electricity is expensive. This will enable us to be the most competitive form of heating for the people of Vantaa,” explains Business Director Kalle Patomeri.

The Seasonal Thermal Energy Storage project is in the preliminary design phase and a decision on moving to the project implementation phase will be made early next year. Electric boilers are also planned for the seasonal thermal storage facility.

In addition to electric boilers, heat produced with electricity will be added to the various waste heat sites, allowing the output heat to be raised to the temperature of the district heating network by using heat pumps.

“District heat production is becoming electrified. We are in a good position to secure the availability of clean electricity through our shareholdings in wind, hydro and nuclear power companies,” says Patomeri.

Additional information
Kalle Patomeri
Business Director, Circular Economy, Vantaa Energy
tel. +358505294158