Fortum's heat pump plant will recycle waste heat from the data centre - which is to be built later on the Kolabacken, Kirkkonummi site - into district heat, and can also produce district heat independently with air-to-water heat pumps and electric boilers. The work started in September 2023 and will last until the end of 2025. The plant is expected to produce district heating, initially independently, in the 2025-2026 heating season.
The heat pump plant includes the required buildings, water-to-water heat pumps, air-to-water heat pumps, two electric boilers, a heat accumulator tank of about 20,000 water cubic metres, and a heat accumulator pump room.
"Fortum is committed to phasing out the use of coal in district heat production by the end of 2025 at the latest in the district heating network of Espoo, Kauniainen and Kirkkonummi in Finland. This is an important project, not only locally but also nationally, on the way to a carbon-neutral Finland," emphasises Director, Project execution Teemu Nieminen from Fortum's heating and cooling business in Finland.
The heat recovery project is an important step on the Espoo Clean Heat transformation journey, where Fortum's district heat production in Finland will be carbon neutral in 2029.
When completed, the two data centers planned by Microsoft for Kirkkonummi and Espoo are expected to provide around 40% of the district heating needs of Espoo, Kauniainen and Kirkkonummi with full waste heat recovery. The recycling of waste heat is expected to result in a gradual reduction of CO2 emissions of around 400,000 tonnes.
Fortum's data centre project has been awarded European Union NextGenerationEU funding and investment support from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.