Wärtsilä Oyj : Wärtsilä wood and peat-fired heating plant for Vapo Group

Wärtsilä has signed with Vapo Oy a contract to deliver a BioEnergy wood and peat-fired heating plant. The plant sold will be installed at the Vapo Timber sawmill in Hankasalmi, which is located in central Finland. The output of the BioEnergy heating plant is 10 MWth. The contract also includes a 6 MWth heavy fuel oil plant. The plant will be handed over by November 2008.

The fuel used in the plant will be wood residues such as bark coming from the Vapo sawmill, as well as peat. The heating plant will generate low cost thermal energy for the sawmill's drying process as well as for the premises.

Wärtsilä has delivered BioEnergy and oil & gas plants to Vapo earlier. Good relations with the customer and a reliable technical solution matching customers needs were the reasons for Wärtsilä winning this contract.

Wärtsilä's biomass-fuelled plants are clean and efficient and are practical solutions for meeting the need for renewable energy with minimum environmental impact. The plants incorporate patented Wärtsilä BioGrate combustion technology to burn biomass fuels with high combustion efficiency and low emissions.

Further information
Mr Ilkka Heikkilä, Managing Director, Wärtsilä Biopower
Tel: +358 40 820 9186

Ms Eeva Kainulainen, VP Corporate Communications, Wärtsilä Corporation
Tel: +358 40 568 0591

Mr Mika Hillu, Sales Manager, Vapo Group
Tel: +358 400 886 913

Wärtsilä in brief
Wärtsilä enhances the business of its customers by providing them with complete lifecycle power solutions. When creating better and environmentally compatible technologies, Wärtsilä focuses on the marine and energy markets with products and solutions as well as services. Through innovative products and services, Wärtsilä sets out to be the most valued business partner of all its customers. This is achieved by the dedication of more than 15,000 professionals manning 150 Wärtsilä locations in 70 countries around the world. Wärtsilä is listed on The Nordic Exchange in Helsinki, Finland.

Vapo Group in brief
The Vapo Group consists of the Parent Company Vapo Oy and four business areas: Local Fuels, Heat and Power, Pellets, and Garden & Environment. The subsidiary Vapo Timber Oy processes timber, and Kekkilä Oyj produces and markets growing media and fertilizers. In Sweden Vapo owns Neova AB and in Estonia Tootsi Turvas AS. The Finnish State owns 50.1% of the shares in the Parent Company, Vapo Oy, and Metsäliitto Cooperative owns 49.9%. Vapo Group's turnover in 2006 was EUR 600,9 million. The Group had 1 891 employees.