In 2015, the steam boiler at the Martinlaakso power plant was nearing the end of its service life, while growing demand for district heating called for new solutions. The city decided to build a waste-to-energy plant to increase electricity and district heating production, reduce coal use and carbon dioxide emissions, and improve security of supply using domestic fuel. Recommendations from successful projects in Tampere and Salo convinced Vantaan Energia of Insta's expertise. The construction of a commercial and industrial waste incineration unit and a high-temperature facility followed the Långmossebergen waste-to-energy plant.
"The integrated plant complex plays a key role for Vantaan Energia on its path toward fossil-free energy production,"
says Markku Vuorisalo, Project Manager at Vantaan Energia.
The Långmossebergen Waste-to-Energy Plant Returns Materials to Circulation and Enables Recycled Energy
Completed in 2014, the Vantaa waste-to-energy plant, located in the Långmossebergen area, is the largest of its kind in Finland. The Långmossebergen facility returns materials to the circular economy and enables the production of recycled energy. The plant generates district heating and electricity from the mixed waste of 1.5 million residents in the Uusimaa region, producing 920 GWh of district heating—approximately half of the city's total demand—and 600 GWh of electricity, covering about one third of the city's consumption.
Waste is incinerated around the clock in two grate-fired boilers. Combustion takes place at high temperatures, after which a flue gas residence time of at least two seconds at a minimum of 850°C is ensured. The flue gases generated during combustion are cleaned, and the waste heat from them is recovered in a scrubber. Emissions are monitored using redundant measurement systems. Waste is handled in a closed, negative-pressure environment, preventing odors from spreading into the surrounding area. Electricity is generated from waste using a steam turbine, and a gas turbine plant provides additional power generation. The overall process efficiency exceeds 90%.
Insta was responsible for installing the plant's instrumentation, field enclosures, fibre-optic network, and main bus cabling. The project owner was Vantaan Energia, the consultant was Afry, and the boiler supplier was Kanadevia INOVA, a long-standing partner of Insta.
Waste Incineration Expanded to Include Commercial and Industrial Waste
The Långmossebergen facility was expanded to accept non-recyclable commercial and industrial waste, in addition to household waste, previously transported abroad for treatment. The expansion was commissioned in autumn 2022.
Insta was responsible for deliveries to both the Hitachi team and Vantaan Energia, with the scope also expanding to include broader design and commissioning work. Vantaan Energia commissioned Insta to carry out instrumentation installations for auxiliary processes and ICT cabling, while the Hitachi team assigned Insta the electrical and instrumentation installations, including engineering. The delivery also included partial design of building electrification, lighting, and cable tray systems, as well as layout design and delivery of control centers and enclosures. This covered cabinets related to the authority network and access control systems, including field enclosures, fiber-optic network cabinets, signal enclosures, distributed control cabinets for the automation system, CCTV enclosures, and local control panels.
The High-Temperature Facility Safely Converts Hazardous Waste into Heat
At Vantaa's high-temperature facility, scheduled for completion at the end of 2025, waste such as pharmaceuticals, paints, adhesives, varnishes, impregnated wood, oils, oily water, and chemicals, as well as industrial process waste, will be incinerated. Operations are strictly regulated, and the facility does not handle explosives, ammunition, or radioactive waste. The heat generated from incineration is fed into Vantaa's district heating network. The facility has a capacity of 40,000 tonnes per year and an output of 24 MW. Annual production will cover approximately 5–10% of Vantaa's district heating demand.
At the high-temperature facility, waste is incinerated in a rotary kiln and an afterburner chamber at very high temperatures, ensuring safe and sustainable treatment. Flue gases are cleaned of harmful compounds, and energy efficiency is maximized through a heat recovery system. The facility meets the strictest environmental and safety requirements.
Insta's delivery scope was like that of the waste-to-energy plant and its expansion.
With a Decisive Approach, Plant by Plant
Insta's success was made possible by an experienced and highly skilled team. Multilingual installers with strong process knowledge were flexibly allocated to sites as needed. The projects were led by project managers with experience from similar facilities in Tampere and Salo, which helped build trust in Insta step by step.
The scheduling of large, multi-phase projects required a high degree of flexibility from Insta. For example, at the high-temperature facility, Insta simultaneously met the needs of several parties. In addition to the main clients, it also supported the waste shredder supplier and the control system provider. Insta kept schedules firmly under control, and the team efficiently leveraged its resources across different areas of expertise.
Success was further driven by active communication and a proactive working style. Implementation progressed in a takt-based manner, moving forward in parallel and with clear prioritization across sites. Thanks to Insta's precise documentation, responsibilities and cost structures remained transparent even after project completion.
"Flexibility, professionalism, and delivering exactly what has been agreed are characteristic of Insta. The team radiates professional pride, and the quality of work can be trusted. Our partnership gives us confidence and saves us time,"
says Vuorisalo.
Vantaan Energia's Waste Treatment Is a Model Example of Sustainable Urban Development
Vantaan Energia's vision is to become the leading recycling energy company in the Nordic region by 2035—both in scale and in technological advancement. Thanks to the versatile waste treatment capacity of the Långmossebergen waste-to-energy plants, Vantaan Energia can provide treatment services for all types of waste fractions. The company views heat as recycled energy, produced from energy raw materials that are smartly kept in circulation, with only non-recyclable waste ultimately being incinerated.
The concept of recycled energy is applied beyond energy production as well. For example, slag generated as a by-product is reused in applications such as noise barrier construction, and only 6% of waste ends up in landfill. One quarter of the facility's heat is supplied to Helen, reducing emissions in Helsinki by approximately 60,000 tonnes per year. With the addition of the commercial and industrial waste treatment unit, the plant's annual capacity increased to 570,000 tonnes.
The high-temperature facility enables the treatment of waste that cannot otherwise be utilized. As a result, non-recyclable hazardous waste can be processed safely, and the heat generated during the treatment process is used to warm homes in Vantaa.
"The integrated plant complex forms the largest hub for thermal waste treatment in the Nordic region. The projects carried out with Insta demonstrate that long-term cooperation and technical expertise benefit not only the client, but also stakeholders, taxpayers, and the environment," Vuorisalo concludes.
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