On April 10 – 11 of 2014 the Seminar on energy efficiency and biofuels issues was held in the hotel "Park Inn by Radisson" in Petrozavodsk. Seminar was arranged by the The Ministry of Construction, Housing and Communal Services, and Energy of the Republic of Karelia in cooperation with Oulu University of Applied Sciences, Karelian Energy Efficiency Center, Planora Oy, JSC ”Petrozavodsk Communal Systems”, Turveruukki Oy, Finnish-Russian Energy Club. The event was arranged in cooperation with two ENPI CBC Projects -- Development of cross-border biofuel infrastructure (KA396) and DHTrain – Development of an efficient support network and operation model for the municipal energy sector (KA378).
More than 60 experts from Russia, Finland and Latvia, representing different companies, institutions and Local Municipalities and Administrations participated in the event. Russia was represented by participants from Saint-Petersburg, Leningrad oblast, Republic of Karelia and the city of Kirov. Finnish partners have represented Oulu, Helsinki and Saarijarvi. Latvia was represented by the company from Riga.
28 presentations were introduced at the seminar. All the presentations aroused great interest and fruitful discussion of parties concerned. The first day of the seminar was dedicated to the current situation and perspectives of development of heat supply systems in Karelian Municipalities.
Second day was dedicated to construction and running of heat supply systems, production and use of local renewable types of fuel. Erkki Perälä (Finland) made a presentation about heat supply system of the city of Oulu run by the Oulun Energia company. His second presentation was about local types of fuel (peat and wood chips) as an energy source. The head of the Karelian branch of Piter-Pit company Mr. Haranen made a presentation about their experience of fuel peat production in Karelia.
Besides that, representatives of the Karelian Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences presented the audience their reports. Mr. Borisov, Senior Research Associate, Cand. (PhD) of Techn., Senior Researcher of the Laboratory for Natural-Technical System Modelling, of Institute of Applied Mathematics made a presentation: “Development of know-how and increase of bioenergy potential in the Republic of Karelia”. Mr. Kuznetsov, Dr. of Biology, Senior Researcher of the Laboratory for Mire Ecosystems of Institute of Biology made a presentation: “Biofuel resources availability in Kostomuksha region”. Mr. Sin’kevich, Deputy Director for Science, Assistant Professor, Cand. (PhD) of Agriculture from Forest Research Institute made a presentation: “Wood fuel resources in the vicinities of Kostomuksha city”.
Karelian TV has interviewed two Finnish experts and made a news item.