Finnish Ministry awards €6.6 million grant for innovative solar project in North Savo

The Finnish Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change has awarded a €6.6 million investment grant for an innovative solar power project in North Savo. The funding has been allocated to Kaskisuon aurinkovoima Oy for the construction of a solar power plant covering approximately 115 hectares. This initiative is part of a project led by Energiequelle Oy, which specializes in renewable energy.

The objective is to pilot a new operational model that integrates an industrial-scale solar power plant with peatland restoration. The project area is set to undergo restoration by rewetting and reintroducing native saltmarsh vegetation. The industrial-scale solar power plant will be built on a decommissioned peat extraction site in the municipality of Joroinen.

According to project manager Adele Halttunen, instead of draining the wetland area, the land beneath the solar panels will be allowed to retain water, thereby restoring its hydrology close to its pre-peat extraction state.

Located roughly 14 kilometers south of Joroinen’s center, the solar power plant is expected to generate about 69.9 gigawatt-hours of electricity annually if realized. This output would be sufficient to meet the annual consumption of approximately 3,300 electrically heated single-family homes or about 21,000 apartments.

In addition, the project is anticipated to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 2,943 tons per year, while also decreasing greenhouse gas emissions released from the soil. The investment grant is financed through the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF).