Bayer to switch to fully local renewable energy in Finland

The photovoltaic power station will consist of 7 956 solar panels spread across an area of four hectares in Artukainen, a district located about five kilometres west of downtown Turku. The panels will produce 3 400 megawatt-hours of energy a year, reducing carbon-dioxide emissions by about 3 000 tonnes over 15 years – equivalent to the emissions of 23 000 flats.

Turku Energia will own and operate the park, selling the energy to Bayer. The two companies also put pen to paper on a multiyear contract for wind energy produced at in Satakunta by Suomen Hyötytuuli, an affiliate of Turku Energia.

“Bayer’s Finland operation has been carbon neutral since 2021, and the energy Bayer uses in Turku has already been fully renewable,” commented Tomi Penttilä, head of production for Bayer in Turku. "With the new solar park and wind power agreement, the electricity we use will be produced even more locally."

Construction on the solar park is scheduled to start this month on a plot owned by Bayer. The facility is expected to start producing energy by the third quarter of 2025.

Business Finland has committed to providing some of the project funding because the park will be equipped with bifacial solar panels, which capture solar energy on both sides. Such panels are capable of producing more energy at a significantly lower cost than traditional, one-sided panels.

Bayer has recently doubled down on its commitment to Turku. Last year it opened a new 250-million-euro production facility in the roughly 220 000-resident city in Southwest Finland. The facility produces long-acting reversible contraceptives that are exported to more than 130 countries around the world.