
Sustainable energy increased the traffic flows of the Port of Loviisa
The Port of Loviisa has traditionally been an export port, but imports of sustainable energy solutions have now turned the tables.
Last year saw a 38 per cent rise in the amount of traffic flowing through the Port of Loviisa. This was largely due to an increase in the volume of cargo traffic accounted for by imported energy products. This year also began with good traffic volumes that were on par with the comparison period (Q1/2023).
“The long strike in the stevedoring sector naturally affected export traffic in particular, that is, it caused variations within different traffic streams. As a result of the cold winter, imports of sustainable energy products rose considerably in order to safeguard winter energy needs in Southern Finland,” says Tiina Vepsäläinen, CEO of the Port of Loviisa.
A variety of wood energy products, such as pellets and bales, have been imported into Finland through the port. Energy that passed through the port led to a reduction of more than 100,000 tons of CO2 emissions in thermal energy production during the first quarter in comparison with earlier CO2 emissions from coal energy production.
“Loviisa’s energy traffic is not only supporting district heating’s transition to fossil-free energy production, but it’s also helping to meet the energy needs of several industrial manufacturing industries,” says Vepsäläinen.
A variety of construction industry products also pass through the port, such as cement, steel and metal products, road salt and other industrial raw materials. Other goods, such as scrap metal, recycled clothing and recycled glass, are exported via the port.
Loviisa still has good capacity for products that require warehousing or outdoor storage. The investments made in outdoor storage areas and warehouse upgrades in recent years have proven their necessity.
“The port is also ready to make similar customer investments, like a few years ago when we had a cement silo built for a customer who wanted to import a new, more environmentally friendly grade of cement,” says Vepsäläinen.
Facts
- The Port of Loviisa has been located in the Valko district of Loviisa since 1903.
- is owned by the City of Loviisa (40%) and the Port of Helsinki (60% since the beginning of 2017).
- is served by two port operators: LFS Oy and BB-Logistics Oy.
- has a long history as an export port, and particularly in the export of sawn timber products.
- has been more of an import port since 2022 in terms of goods volumes.
- has a short, deep sea lane (9.5 m deep).