Vantaan Energia’s Vantaa Carbon Capture project, Finland’s first industrial-scale carbon dioxide capture and storage project, will create a completely new infrastructure and value chain for carbon dioxide capture, utilization and storage in Finland. The Vantaa Carbon Capture project will significantly reduce fossil emissions and create a value chain in Finland that enables new business. The project is taking a big leap forward, as there is now agreement that the liquefaction, intermediate storage and shipping of carbon dioxide will take place at Vuosaari Harbour.

The Vantaa Carbon Capture project is one of Vantaan Energia’s most significant strategic investments in the coming years. In carbon capture, the carbon dioxide generated during the thermal treatment of waste is captured and permanently stored.

The port and its operations are a key part of the process. Carbon dioxide will be captured at Vantaan Energia’s Waste-to-energy plant and transported to the port to await shipment. At the port, the carbon dioxide will be liquefied and bunkered onto a ship designed to withstand high pressures and low temperatures. The carbon dioxide will be transported to the North Sea, for example, where it will be permanently stored in geological formations. Permanent storage is a technology currently in use, and storage will be procured as a service.

Implementation of the project requires extensive funding from both the Finnish government and the EU. The safety of the entire process is being designed in close cooperation with various authorities and partners.

“We are very pleased with the cooperation and the site at the Port of Helsinki. The project would not be possible without partners and support. The undisputed advantage of Vuosaari Harbour is its central location. The Vuosaari Harbour has excellent road and rail connections and is only six kilometers from Vantaan Energia’s Waste-to-energy plant,” says Kalle Patomeri, Senior Vice President, Circular Economy business at Vantaan Energia.

“A liquefaction facility is being planned for the new logistics area we acquired last year, and shipping operations will also require renovations to the quay area,” says Vesa Marttinen, Vice President of Cargo operations at the Port of Helsinki.

“Permanent storage of carbon dioxide is a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and we are excited that the Vuosaari Harbour has the potential to become a logistics hub, Vuosaari Carbon Hub, which will serve Finnish carbon capture operators also more broadly in the future”, says Marttinen.

Enables emission reductions for a wide range of organizations

In terms of biogenic carbon dioxide capture from waste treatment, Vantaan Energia is creating carbon removal units for sale, which companies, organizations and cities can use to offset their operations’ carbon emissions that cannot be avoided through their own emission reduction measures.

“For Vantaan Energia, the project not only enables fossil emission reductions but also the emission reduction units generated through the storage of bio-based carbon dioxide, bringing new business opportunities,” says Patomeri.

The total amount of carbon dioxide captured by Vantaan Energia’s Vantaa Carbon Capture project will correspond to approximately one third of Vantaa’s emissions. The infrastructure currently being planned would also enable other operators to capture carbon dioxide, thereby multiplying the impact of the project and creating new clean transition business opportunities throughout Finland.

The preliminary planning for the Vantaa Carbon Capture project is intended to be completed in early 2026. That will be followed by basic planning, and then an investment decision will be made. According to the current schedule, commissioning could take place in 2030 at the earliest.

Additional information:

Kalle Patomeri, Senior Vice President, Circular Economy business, Vantaan Energia Oy
kalle.patomeri(at)vantaanenergia.fi
tel. +358 50 529 4158

Vesa Marttinen, Vice President of Cargo operations, Port of Helsinki
vesa.marttinen(at)portofhelsinki.fi
tel. +358 40 822 2910

Background info

More info about Vantaan Energia’s carbon capture and storage project