The project 'Towards carbon neutral South Karelia' has been launched

The city of Lappeenranta has launched the project ”Towards a carbon neutral South Karelia”. The project will be implemented by the Lappeenranta Region Environmental Office and Wirma Lappeenranta. The project work will be very hands on, comprising a wide range of actions aimed at the common goal of promoting a transition towards carbon-neutrality in South Karelia. Extending to the end of 2017, the project is funded by the European Regional Development Fund, the city of Lappeenranta and Wirma Lappeenranta.

According to Ilkka Räsänen, Director of Lappeenranta Region Environmental Office, the energy solutions in use in South Karelia contribute well to the goal of reducing carbon emissions. Already more than 70% of the energy generated in the region is based on renewable sources. The challenge lies in finding ways to enhance the energy-efficiency of communities and to further reduce the carbon emissions arising from mobility. The City of Lappeenranta is a member of the national network of resource-wise cities, the FISU network. The FISU network aids and support pioneering cities in the achievement of their target of becoming carbon neutral by 2050. The use of renewable energy reduces dependence on purchased energy. It also brings more jobs to the region in the fields of research, production and maintenance.

The Lappeenranta Region Environmental Office focuses on stimulating the acquisition of solar power systems for residential blocks of flats, draws up an action plan for making the vehicle fleet owned by the City Group carbon neutral, commissions a heat loss scan of roofs in the selected area, and create a guide for investors. The guide for investors is intended to support decision-making and provide advice on renewable energy and energy-efficiency solutions. Land use and the activities of public authorities will be taken into account in the guide.

Wirma Lappeenranta focuses on helping the companies participating in the Green Energy Showroom (GES) network to use their energy and environmental solutions as references. Furthermore, an energy-efficiency campaign will be carried out for SMEs operating in the region in order to stimulate companies to implement economically viable solutions that enhance their energy efficiency, says Markku Mäki-Hokkonen of Wirma Lappeenranta.