The steelmaker and Loimua Oy, a district heating supplier, have agreed to explore a mill heat-recovery system that would support the local heating district. The companies will study the technical and economic feasibility of such a project this year, with investment decisions to follow. 

If the project materializes, it would require installation of heat recovery and heat pump systems at the mill and improvements to the district heating network. According to the companies, the mill’s waste heat is equivalent to what is used by 150 apartment blocks. 

“SSAB is committed to acting systematically, proactively and in a goal-driven way to minimize the environmental impacts of our operations and to improve the material and energy efficiency of our operations. Increased cooperation with Loimua to use our waste heat would very well serve this goal by reducing the heat load released into waterways,” said Mikko Lepistö, SSAB Europe’s manager of energy in production operations.