Atria

Project description

Location
Nurmo

Capacity
10.9 MWp

Solar panels
31 000

Area m2
43 000

Solarigo, when building Finland’s largest solar power plant

As part of its Atria Aurinko flagship energy project, Atria built a large-scale 5.9 MW solar power park in 2018. As a national flagship project, Atria Aurinko piloted a range of solar energy solutions and became Finland’s first major industrial-scale solar park. It remained Finland’s largest solar power plant in 2023, when its capacity was nearly doubled with a 5.0 MW expansion.

The project has been unique for us due to its sheer scale and serves as an excellent example of increasing renewable energy and improving energy efficiency in an industrial environment. It also directly supports Atria’s corporate responsibility targets by reducing our carbon footprint with concrete actions.

Tapani Potka, Director, Atria’s order-supply chain

A flagship energy project

Between 2017 and 2019, the Atria Aurinko project implemented Finland’s first extensive industrial-scale solar power park at Atria Suomi Oy’s Nurmo plant. The project-built Finland’s largest 5.9 MW solar park, consisting of 11 separate units generating fully renewable domestic solar power locally. The emission-free solar electricity replaces around 5% of the plant’s annual electricity consumption.

Alongside the solar park, the plant’s electricity network was integrated with a significant 1 MWh electricity storage unit — one of the largest in Finland — to improve power quality and balance fluctuations in the national grid. The project also included an intelligent factory network, with energy-saving technologies installed in 19 different sites within the plant. The intelligent network improves energy efficiency and extends equipment lifetimes. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment provided flagship project funding for the investment.

PPA service model

What made the project unique in Finland was its implementation with a new power purchase agreement (PPA) model and smart electricity use concept. Under this model, the end customer does not need to make their own investments or allocate resources, freeing up capital for core business development. Atria Suomi Oy purchases all the electricity produced for factory use under a long-term agreement.

Nurmon Aurinko Oy was responsible for project design, investment, and the provision of solar power and smart grid services during operation at the Nurmo plant. At the time, no other project of this scale had been implemented with such a model in Finland. The power purchase agreement and service concept are fully replicable, regionally scalable, and exportable to international markets.

Expansion of the solar park in 2022–2023

Following positive experiences, Atria and Solarigo decided to nearly double the size of the solar park. Fewer panels were needed for the expansion, as panel efficiency had improved over the years. The extension used bifacial solar panels, which also produce electricity from reflected radiation on the rear side of the panel, particularly effective in spring conditions. The expansion was built adjacent to Atria’s Nurmo plant on the eastern side of the site.

With the extension, Atria Aurinko’s annual solar electricity production increased to approximately 9,000 MWh. Thanks to the expansion, Atria now covers around 8% of its annual electricity consumption with solar power.

Atria Plc is a Finnish food industry company. The Atria Group is divided into four business areas: Atria Finland, Atria Scandinavia, Atria Russia, and Atria Baltics. Atria’s customer segments include the grocery trade, food service customers, and the food industry. In addition, it operates its own fast-food concept business based on proprietary brands. Atria’s roots date back to 1903, when its oldest cooperative owner was established. Atria Plc’s shares are listed on the Helsinki Stock Exchange.

www.atria.fi