FINLAND: Altia plans bio-mass power plant

By Andy Morton | 14 January 2013

Altia is owned by the Finnish government

Altia is to build a ten-megawatt bio-energy power plant to help fuel production of its Koskenkorva Viina spirit brand.

The EUR15m (US$20m) plant will cut carbon dioxide emissions in half and reduce Altia's dependency on peat, the Finnish state-owned drinks company said today (14 January). Construction will start at Altia's Koskenkorva site early this year and the boiler will be commissioned towards the end of 2014, it said.

“This power plant will secure competitive steam supply for the Koskenkorva plant, thanks to high fuel self-sufficiency and the versatile selection of fuels,” plant director Antti Snellman said. “The investment will enables us to increase our production capacity.”

The Koskenkorva plant produces grain spirit for Altia’s own brands as well as starch and feed. Koskenkorva Viina, or vodka, is Finland's best-selling spirit.

Last September, Altia announced it had bought a controlling stake in Latvian vodka maker Jaunalko.

Expert analysis

Rtds/High-Strength Premixes in Finland

Total volume sales of RTDs/high-strength premixes increased by just 2% in 2011. This is a far slower growth than that seen at the beginning of the review period and much slower than the average annual volume growth rate of 9%. 2011 is a continuation of the development that started in 2010, with far more modest growth rates.

Sectors: Corporate social responsibility (CSR), Environmental issues, Spirits