The planning of a new bioeconomy and circular economy industrial park in Porvoo is moving on swiftly. The concrete needs of participating businesses have been mapped, and the park’s vision will be published in May 2016. Gaia was selected to facilitate and support the project’s vision and strategy process and to map potential investors together with Neste Jacobs engineering company.
The project’s goal is to create new business from bioeconomy and circular economy in the Kilpilahti industrial area, which is already the largest oil refinery and petrochemical cluster in the Nordic countries. It has, for example, significant biofuel production. The current Kilpilahti companies will form the basis for developing the area into a bioeconomy and circular economy hub but the park also seeks new businesses and initiatives.
In February, all major organisations in the area and a large group of other companies took part in a workshop to formulate the vision of the new hub. The concrete needs of participating and potential businesses have also been collected through interviews.
“Kilpilahti is a significant industrial cluster that offers a strong foundation for growth as well as the innovation potential of a large group of businesses. The area has an excellent chance to develop into an attractive forerunner in bioeconomy and circular economy,” says Director of Sustainable Business at the Confederation of Finnish Industries Sari Siitonen, who gave a luncheon speech in the workshop.
Many needs and wishes arose in the workshop, including a smart local energy grid and its optimisation as a service, solutions utilising waste heat, plastic recycling and reuse, bioplastics production, a biogas plant, industrial symbioses involving local agriculture, security management services, resource efficiency services, office hotel services and Internet of Things as a service.
These initiatives will be advanced in a development project that will continue until the end of 2017. Next on the agenda is a process for the park’s joint projects. Kilpilahti’s vision will be published in May 2016.
“This is a great opportunity to build a more dynamic business and innovation environment. New ideas, technology and service providers, and businesses are most welcome, including new small and medium-sized companies that are not yet located in Kilpilahti,” says Business Director Pekka Pokela from Gaia.
Interested companies can contact Programme Director Leena Tuomi at Posintra (contact information below).
The Kilpilahti bioeconomy and circular economy park
The Kilpilahti initiative is driven by Posintra development company and the City of Porvoo. Gaia facilitates and supports the project’s vision and strategy process, maps potential investors and boosts the collaboration of participating companies together with Neste Jacobs engineering company. Posintra has received funding for the initiative from the European Regional Development Fund.
Posintra is a Southern Finnish company specialised in developing small and medium-sized businesses.
Gaia Consulting is a consultancy for sustainable business. It helps clients become more competitive with responsible business that respects the environment.
Neste Jacobs is a consulting and engineering company that provides services and solutions related to technology, planning and project management.
More information:
- Previous news on Kilpilahti
- Leena Tuomi, Programme Director, Posintra, tel. +358 40 730 5440, firstname.lastname@posintra.fi
- Pekka Pokela, Business Director, Gaia Consulting, tel. +358 40 544 1582, firstname.lastname@gaia.fi
- Maija Aho, Business Manager, Gaia Consulting, tel. +358 44 541 7444, firstname.lastname@gaia.fi
- Outi Ervasti, Head of Consulting, Neste Jacobs, tel. +358 50 458 9741, firstname.lastname@nestejacobs.com
