September 03, 2026 – Espoo, Finland -- Valmet will deliver a flue gas condensing plant to Helen's Salmisaari K6 pellet heating plant in Helsinki, enabling the energy company to recover additional heat from flue gases and boost district heating output without increasing biomass fuel consumption.
Order was booked in Valmet's second-quarter 2026 intake, with startup set for second half of 2027
The contract, whose value was not disclosed, was included in Valmet's orders received for Q2 2026. The flue gas condensing plant is scheduled to start operations during the second half of 2027, completing the Salmisaari K6 and K7 heating plant complex previously supplied by Valmet.
Condensing technology recovers water vapor heat and feeds it into Helsinki's district network
The system uses flue gas condensation, where water vapor generated by the pellet-fired plant condenses into water and releases usable heat back into the process. This recovered heat is circulated into Helen's district heating network, increasing the amount of useful energy extracted from the same volume of biomass fuel.
Plant links to Helen's district cooling network, cutting flue gas temperature below 10 degrees
A distinguishing feature of the delivery is its connection to Helen's district cooling network, which allows the final flue gas temperature to drop below 10 degrees Celsius without separate heat pumps. Heat captured through the cooling network is then transferred to the district heating system using Helen's existing heat pump infrastructure.
Helen targets net zero emissions by 2040 through renewable heat efficiency gains
Juhani Aaltonen, Senior Vice President, Clean Transition Investments at Helen, said improving flue gas heat recovery efficiency at the Salmisaari plant will increase renewable energy output for Helsinki residents while cutting emissions. Helen is responsible for district heating and cooling production and distribution in Helsinki and aims for net zero emissions by 2040.
Valmet frames efficiency upgrades as low-cost route to boost value of existing energy assets
Lari-Matti Kuvaja, Director of Environmental Solutions for Valmet's Pulp, Energy and Circularity unit, said energy efficiency improvements are among the most effective ways for producers to increase the value of existing plants, citing lower operating costs and improved fuel utilization as direct outcomes for district heating operators. As the original supplier of Salmisaari's existing process systems, Valmet will integrate the new heat recovery unit directly into current plant operations.