01.02.2024
Construction of the Simo solar power plant to begin in the spring
Exilion, a renewable energy investor owned by Elo, the State Pension Fund of Finland and Veritas, has decided to invest in the construction of a ground-mounted solar power plant in Simo. The construction is scheduled to begin in the spring with Solarigo Systems Oy as the designer and constructor of the project.
Exilion intends to build a ground-mounted solar power plant with a capacity of 70 MW in Simo in the spring 2024. This is one of Finland’s largest solar farm projects. The farm’s annual capacity will be approximately 65,000 MWh, which is equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 26,000 one-bedroom flats.
Together with Exilion’s existing wind power plants in Simo, the new solar power plant will form a so-called hybrid plant, which means that the same electricity connection contains both solar and wind power and a grid energy storage. Exilion owns multiple wind farms with a total capacity of 169 MW in Simo.
“The Simo solar power plant is one of the first industrial-scale projects in Finland. The project enables us to increase our energy self-sufficiency rate and achieve our net-zero targets. Wind and solar power make a great pair, as solar energy is produced at a higher capacity in summer, when the production of wind power is slower,” says Tommi Riski, Investment Manager at Exilion.
“For the municipality of Simo, the construction of the farm is wonderful news. The farm will reinforce the production of green energy in the area and boost our vitality. The farm generates us a property tax revenue of approximately EUR 250 000, which is a significant sum for the municipality,” says Vivi Marttila, Municipal Manager of Simo.
Finnish Solarigo Systems Oy selected for plant construction and maintenance
Exilion has selected Solarigo Systems Oy, a company under the Suur-Savon Sähkö Group, as its partner for the design and construction stage of the project. The company has extensive experience in solar farm construction including solar farms in Kalajoki, Nurmo and Sulkava. Solarigo will design and realise the construction of the solar farm as an all-in contract. Solarigo will also be responsible for the farm maintenance and care after the completion of the plant.
“We are extremely glad that Exilion trusts Solarigo’s expertise in the field of industrial-scale solar power production. The project in Simo is the largest solar farm commission in the history of our company. Approximately 120,000 solar panels will be installed in the area. We have long experience of solar farm projects. In fact, Solarigo has acted as the developer of the largest solar farm in Finland multiple times,” says Antti Koskelainen, CEO of Solarigo.
The project in Simo has received EUR 8.9 million of investment aid from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. The aid is part of the Next Generation EU funding reserved for green transition projects.
The construction of a renewable energy plant comes with various environmental impacts and the project’s nature footprint has been calculated. Various informed decisions have been made to mitigate the environmental effects of the project. For example, the wildwood of high natural value in the northern part of the area was excluded from the project site. The project’s emissions have also been estimated. According to the emission estimate, the emission removal by carbon pools and sinks equals the reduction of CO2 emissions generated by one year of solar power production.
The construction is scheduled to begin in March-April 2024 and the farm is estimated to be complete in the second half of 2025. The new solar power plant will be connected to Exilion’s Simo Halmekangas 110 kV power line.
The total value of the investment is approximately EUR 40 million.
Exilion Tuuli is a Finnish investment company founded in 2019, which focuses on renewable energy production. Exilion owns 13 wind farms and intends to continue to invest in increasing renewable energy production in Finland. The company’s profits are directed into Finnish pensions.
Solarigo Systems is a Finnish energy company specialised in large-scale solar power plant projects. The company employs approximately 40 permanent solar power experts. Since 2015, we have delivered solar power to our corporate customers and built over 250 solar power plants. Solarigo provides comprehensive services for solar farm projects from design and construction to plant operation and maintenance.
Additional information:
Exilion Management Oy
Tommi Riski, Investment Manager
tel. +358 (0)50 527 0869, email: firstname.surname@exilion.fi
Solarigo Systems Oy
Antti Koskelainen, CEO
tel. +358 (0)40 726 7673, email: antti.koskelainen@solarigo.fi
