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Kavo

Biomass power plant in Kainuu, Finland. Approximate location 64.2273, 27.7285.

BiomassKainuuFinlandCO₂ measured

Kavo is a 85 MW biomass power plant in Kainuu, Finland. It is operated by Kainuun Voima Oy. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 117k homes (estimated). It ranks #48 of 203 Finland power plants by installed capacity. Its annual emissions of 58,719 t CO₂/yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)) are equivalent to about 14k cars driven for a year. In context, biomass supplies about 12.6% of Finland's electricity; the national grid averages 57 gCO₂/kWh (96.3% low-carbon) (2025).

85Legacy source-record capacity
117,008homes powered (est.)
58,719t CO₂ / yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023))

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1002385.

Data status

Known data

FacilityKavo WRI
CountryFinland · Kainuu WRI
Coordinates64.2273, 27.7285 WRI
FuelBiomass WRI
MW installed capacity85 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerKainuun Voima Oy WRI
CO₂ emissions58,719 t CO₂/yr measured · EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#48 of 203 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#10 of 39 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers2.16× · 39 MW median · 39 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent117,008 calculated
Climate1.6°C · HDD 5,975 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 26/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

CommissionedNot available not in dataset
TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 85 MW, Kavo is well above the median biomass plant in Finland (39 MW). Biomass plants burn organic material such as wood, residues or waste-derived fuel to raise steam; they are dispatchable and counted as low-carbon where the feedstock is sustainably sourced.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

58,719 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

14kpassenger cars driven for a year
7.7khomes' yearly energy use
979ktree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; emissions per EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023) (measured for US EPA/EU ETS, modelled for Climate TRACE).

Capacity vs largest biomass plants in Finland

Toppila 1 ja 2: 195 MW195Toppila 1 …Haapavesi: 154 MW154HaapavesiLappeenranta Kaukaan tehdas: 119 MW119Lappeenran…Haapaniemi: 118 MW118HaapaniemiPietarsaari (Wisapower Oy): 116 MW116Pietarsaar…Oulu: 105 MW105OuluUimaharju 2 + 1 vp/lv: 105 MW105Uimaharju …Veitsiluoto: 90 MW90Veitsiluoto

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Kainuun Voima Oy.

Local climate & thermal context

This biomass plant burns organic material (wood, residues) to raise steam for a turbine. It sits in a subarctic (boreal) climate (Köppen Dfc) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 64.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

1.6°Cannual mean temp
5,975heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
213 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -11 °CJF: -11 °CFM: -5 °CMA: 0 °CAM: 7 °CMJ: 13 °CJJ: 16 °CJA: 13 °CAS: 8 °CSO: 2 °CON: -4 °CND: -8 °CD16 °C

Heating degree-days here run 143% above the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 98/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
26/100environmental-severity index
26.5°Cseasonal temperature swing
176 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #10 largest biomass power plant of 39 in Finland by capacity.

Finland has 39 biomass power plants in this dataset, together about 2,180 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 64.2273, 27.7285 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Kavo?

Kavo is a 85 MW source-record biomass power plant in Kainuu, Finland.

How many homes can Kavo power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 117,008 homes (estimated).

Who operates Kavo?

Kavo is operated by Kainuun Voima Oy.

How much CO₂ does Kavo emit?

Kavo has measured emissions of about 58,719 tonnes of CO₂ per year (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)).

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