Helen, a Helsinki-based energy company, has unveiled plans for a large-scale district heating plant complex. Germany’s MAN Energy Solutions is supplying a 33 MW air-to-water heat pump, the largest ever used for a district heating plant, using ambient air and renewable electricity to generate heat.
Energy company Helen is building a large-scale heating plant complex in Patola, a district of Helsinki, Finland.
The location will have an industrial-scale heat pump and two 50 MW electric boilers. Once operational, it is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by 56,000 tonnes per year. Construction will begin at the end of this year, with a production start date planned during the 2026-2027 heating season.
“The air-to-water heat pump installation to be built will be the first in the world of this size, and one of its important advantages is that it can be used at outdoor temperatures down to -20 C,” says Juhani Aaltonen. , VP Green Investments at Helen. “In addition, the factory is likely to create price stability for customers as production is easily customizable.”
German manufacturer MAN Energy Solutions has been commissioned to supply a 33 MW air-to-water heat pump – the largest in the world ever used for a district heating plant. It will operate with a capacity ranging from 20 MW to 33 MW, depending on air temperature, and will supply heat to approximately 30,000 households in Helsinki.
The company’s heat pump solution uses ambient air as a thermal energy source to increase water temperature and meet the demands of the district heating network. It says that toxicologically and environmentally friendly carbon dioxide is used as a coolant for the system cycle, allowing it to provide heat at temperatures up to 90°C. The solution also enables rapid energy balancing of the electricity grid.
MAN Energy Solutions adds that the heart of the system is an oil-free, hermetically sealed HOFIM engine compressor. “The compression unit uses a high-speed motor and active magnetic bearings, allowing it to operate without the need for a dry gas seal system and the entire oil system,” the company said.
Uwe Lauber, CEO of MAN Energy Solutions, said that heat pump technology “provides an economically competitive and efficient way to utilize climate-neutral heat from the ambient air… urban district heating projects using climate-neutral technologies are essential for advancing global efforts to reduce CO2 emissions.”
The Finnish Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment has provided an energy subsidy for the power plant. The facility is expected to support Helsinki’s goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030.
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