Ilmatar, Glennmont and Metsähallitus celebrated the official inauguration of Finland’s largest wind farm project on September 29th 2022. The wind farm is located in the Pyhäntä and Kajaani regions. The wind farm was inaugurated by the Speaker of Parliament Matti Vanhanen.
The Piiparinmäki wind farm started its commercial production in June. It is one of the largest wind farms in Europe, and it has been constructed on market terms without being subsidised. The 41 wind turbines of Piiparinmäki are now generating electricity for the Finnish electricity grid and Google’s data centre in Hamina with a significant nominal capacity of 211 MW.
– This is a significant milestone for Ilmatar Energy. We are very proud to have constructed the largest windfarm in Finland and one of the most important sources of renewable energy in the Nordic countries. We are a pioneer in renewable energy in Northern Europe, and Piiparinmäki is a strong example of our abilities, says Juha Sarsama, CEO of Ilmatar.
Piiparinmäki’s project development was initiated by Metsähallitus, on whose land Ilmatar built the largest wind farm in Finland.
– Piiparinmäki is the most significant wind farm built on state-owned grounds. We began its project development in 2012. During the project, wind power in Finland developed into a market-driven business that brings vitality to regions and municipalities. We are now facing a new era, in which wind power as a renewable energy source is at the centre of all responsible climate work in Finland, states Juha Niemelä, Director General of Metsähallitus.
– Wind power has quickly become a significant part of the national energy supply. At the same time, the investments, jobs and property tax revenues associated with the wind farm are largely concentrated in areas where it is otherwise difficult to attract significant investments and jobs. Piiparinmäki wind farm will strengthen Finland’s reputation as a country where energy users can be confident that they are part of the green transition and the replacement of fossil fuels. Particularly now – during Russia’s war – the work to construct Piiparinmäki has also been a very patriotic and European act, says Matti Vanhanen, the Speaker of Parliament who officially inaugurated the Piiparinmäki wind farm.
– Cooperation between Pyhäntä and Ilmatar has been smooth since the beginning. The property tax revenues from the Piiparinmäki wind farm will keep our municipality’s finances in balance and allow us to develop in line with our strategy. Piiparinmäki wind farm is a major project for Pyhäntä, which in many ways has indirectly provided vitality to Pyhäntä during its construction and operation, sums up Ismo Mäkeläinen, the Mayor of Pyhäntä municipality.
Piiparinmäki is owned by Glennmont Partners, a company that is owned by the investment group Nuveen, together with the Japanese Kansai Electric Power Company. Kansai’s share of the wind farm is 15%.
– We are pleased that Piiparinmäki is now commercially operational, we believe that this wind farm is an important contribution to Finland’s clean energy solutions. It is a result of the hard work of our partners and a significant milestone for all of us that the construction of the wind farm is completed, says Peter Dickson, Founding Partner and Director of Glennmont Partners.
The wind farm, located on the border between Kainuu and North Ostrobothnia, is equipped with Danish Vestas wind turbines. Of the wind turbines, 13 are the V150-4.2 MW model and 28 are the V150-5.6 MW model. The hub height of the wind turbines is 155 metres.
Ilmatar worked closely with local contractors during the construction, for example on roadwork, earthworks and foundations. Ilmatar Service Oy is responsible for the technical and commercial management of Piiparinmäki.
Further information:
Mikko Niimes
Manager, Communications & PR
[email protected]
+358 40 533 2931
Harry Padfield (Glennmont)
[email protected]
+44 (0) 789 614 0920
ILMATAR
Ilmatar is a Finnish energy company and an independent power producer founded in 2011, that focuses exclusively on renewable energy. Ilmatar Energy’s operations include development of renewable energy, construction and maintenance as well as electricity sales to consumers and businesses. Ilmatar owns its projects for their entire life cycle, which can be up to 40 years. Ilmatar employs 65 top professionals in renewable energy. Ilmatar’s public onshore wind power projects for the coming years have a total of 2,200 MW of generation under development.
GLENNMONT PARTNERS
The UK-based Glennmont Partners is one of the world’s leading fund managers investing exclusively in clean energy and has been working on the Piiparinmäki project since 2019 together with Ilmatar Energy, the contractor of the project. Glennmont is owned by the US financial services organisation TIAA through its subsidiary Nuveen.
Photo: Vesa Ranta