SOK’s new logistic center gets its energy almost entirely from renewable and CO2 free energy sources, reports Rakennuslehti. The center uses a geo and bio energy combination plant which produces all the heating and cooling energy the centre needs.

The hybrid plant is to become Finland’s biggest geo energy plant. The closest respective plant of the same scale is in Oslo.

In comparison with an average one-family house, the logistic center needs 50 per cent less heating energy. The CO2 emissions of the center are just 1/100 compared to a one-family house thanks to the hybrid plant. Yearly emissions are 400 tons. Creating the same amount of energy with district heating would cause CO2 emissions as high as 6000 tons.

Some 50 per cent of the heating needed by the centre is produced with geo energy and less than 50 per cent with pellets or other bio fuels. Only a few percentages is produced with oil. Cooling is entirely taken care of with geo energy.

It takes seven years longer for the combination plant to pay itself back compared to a traditional district heat system but the operation costs are low after the that. The logistic center is to be ready in 2012. It is being constructed in Sipoo and total costs are EUR 150 million.

SOK is one of Fennovoima's shareholders.