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Oulu

Biomass power plant in Northern Ostrobothnia, Finland. Approximate location 65.0124, 25.4682.

BiomassNorthern OstrobothniaFinland

Oulu is a 105 MW biomass power station in Northern Ostrobothnia, Finland. It is operated by Stora Enso Oyj Oulun tehdas. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 145k homes (estimated). It ranks #40 of 203 Finland power plants by installed capacity. In context, biomass supplies about 12.6% of Finland's electricity; the national grid averages 57 gCO₂/kWh (96.3% low-carbon) (2025).

105Legacy source-record capacity
144,540homes powered (est.)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1002477.

Data status

Known data

FacilityOulu WRI
CountryFinland · Northern Ostrobothnia WRI
Coordinates65.0124, 25.4682 WRI
FuelBiomass WRI
MW installed capacity105 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerStora Enso Oyj Oulun tehdas WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#40 of 203 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#6 of 39 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers2.67× · 39 MW median · 39 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent144,540 calculated
Climate2.1°C · HDD 5,762 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 32/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

CommissionedNot available not in dataset
TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsNot 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 105 MW, Oulu 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.

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 Stora Enso Oyj Oulun tehdas.

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 65.0°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

2.1°Cannual mean temp
5,762heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
22 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -10 °CJF: -10 °CFM: -5 °CMA: 1 °CAM: 8 °CMJ: 14 °CJJ: 16 °CJA: 14 °CAS: 8 °CSO: 2 °CON: -4 °CND: -8 °CD16 °C

Heating degree-days here run 134% 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: 97/100 — 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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
32/100environmental-severity index
26.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
41 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 #6 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 65.0124, 25.4682 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Oulu?

Oulu is a 105 MW source-record biomass power plant in Northern Ostrobothnia, Finland.

How many homes can Oulu power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 144,540 homes (estimated).

Who operates Oulu?

Oulu is operated by Stora Enso Oyj Oulun tehdas.

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