Orion has launched its second state-of-the-art heat pump facility, designed and built by Calefa, at its Espoo, Finland site. This innovative facility, inspired by Calefa’s European award-winning carbon-neutral model, delivers efficient process cooling and heating while furthering Orion’s commitment to sustainable operations.
Discover the New Facility in the Video (Subtitles available in English).
Sometimes, as one project concludes, an opportunity for a new one arises immediately. This was the case when Calefa’s project at Orion’s Turku site was completed, and attention turned to the 2 MW cooling demand created alongside the ventilation system upgrades for Orion’s pharmaceutical tablet production department in Espoo.
“We immediately began discussions with Orion about implementing a similar fully emission-free solution to Espoo, like the one just commissioned at Turku site,” says the CEO of Calefa, Petri Vuori.
Calefa is a Finnish industry leader providing innovative and sustainable heat pump facilities, taking responsibility for the whole construction and design process. Their flagship product, AmbiHeat heat pump facility, can utilize multiple energy sources, including waste heat from industrial processes.
Orion Espoo Site’s Heating Energy Needs Reduced by Over Half
The renovation of the tablet production line’s ventilation systems at Orion’s Espoo site was completed in late summer 2024. Before that, in autumn 2023, the new heat pump facility had already begun delivering emission-free heating derived from outdoor air. Now, the 2 MW cooling requirement of the tablet production line is also entirely fulfilled carbon-free with the AmbiHeat facility’s five heat pumps.
“The new AmbiHeat heat pump facility is a critical part of our production process, and ensuring effective cooling is our priority. If production conditions are not optimal, we might have to discard an entire batch,” says Jaakko Valkama, an HVAC engineer at Orion.
As in the Turku site’s solution, the waste heat generated by cooling is utilized to heat factory buildings through the site’s district heating network. The total heating capacity of the heat pump facility, which leverages outdoor air and waste heat, is 3 MW, providing up to 19,300 MWh of fully carbon-neutral heating energy annually.
Overall, the AmbiHeat facility reduces the factory site’s purchased heating energy needs by more than 55%. It also lowers the site’s total CO₂ emissions from heating by 2,200 tons.
“We consume a significant amount of energy in our production processes and for heating the site. This heat pump facility’s impact is crucial for achieving our climate targets,” states Valkama from Orion.
AmbiHeat Facility Offers Even More Cooling Power Than Expected
In addition to the heat pump facility, composed of five modular heat pump units, Calefa also designed and installed a 300-meter transfer line and a heat distribution module at Orion’s Espoo site. These allow the heating energy produced from outdoor air and waste heat to be distributed across the factory’s district heating network.
For over a year now, the AmbiHeat heat pump facility has been providing heating energy to the network from outdoor air. The tablet production line’s ventilation system and process cooling have also been operational for several months.
According to Mikko Rantanen, a project manager at Calefa, the project progressed as planned, and the heat pump facility performed exceptionally well during the performance tests conducted prior to handover.
“The facility has been operational for several months now, delivering energy-efficient cooling for production needs and emission-free heating for factory buildings, as planned,” Rantanen comments.
Orion is satisfied with both the new facility and Calefa’s performance during the project.
“We have been pleased with the overall implementation. The AmbiHeat facility is even capable of producing slightly more cooling power than initially expected.” – Jaakko Valkama, Orion Oyj
