Vapo Oy and Valio have signed a 12-year contract on the production of process steam and heat for Valio’s dairy in Jyväskylä. Vapo will build a new 6 MW steam boiler plant at the dairy. The bioenergy-fired plant will reduce the use of heavy fuel oil as an energy source.
Currently, the steam and process heat needed at the Valio dairy in Jyväskylä are generated with two heavy fuel oil boilers. The emission limits for oil boiler plants will be amended on 1 January 2018, and the boiler plant in Jyväskylä would not meet the new, more stringent limit values for SO2 with its current fuel profile. This is why Valio decided to renew the entire energy supply of the plants in Jyväskylä. It chose a sustainable solution that generates both heat and the energy needed for industrial production.
The Jyväskylä dairy specialises in milk, cream, sour cream and specialty dairy products. In 2015, the volume of dairy products received and produced at the plant exceeded 160 million litres. The plant employs nearly 300 people, and its annual energy consumption is slightly over 30 GWh.
After the completion of the new solid fuel plant, over 90 per cent of the energy used at Valio’s Jyväskylä dairy will be supplied from domestic bioenergy sources—wood chips, other wood-based fuels and milled peat. The existing steam boilers will be turned into spare boilers for peak times and be fired with light fuel oil. The new boiler plant will be constructed in 2016–2017. The construction will start with earthworks in the spring.
