Environmental impacts
Power plant safety
In the Helsingin Energia power plant areas, constant attention is paid to the observation of safety and the environment. The power plants have been built in accordance with regulations on, e.g., fire and rescue, the environment, chemicals and pressure vessels.
The power plants have high-standard process control and safety systems, which have proven to be reliable in use. They also have continuous indicators in critical places for early detection of fires and gas leaks.
The operation of the power plants is controlled, e.g., in the form of regular inspection visits by several authorities. Helsingin Energia pays particular attention to the safety of contractors and the company’s own employees working in the power plant area.
District heating water is hot and green
Since the early 1990s, the district heating water in Helsinki has been coloured green with a non-toxic dye. Colouring helps to distinguish leaks in the district heat and water pipes from one another, which in turn speeds up repair of leak faults.
Hydrazine is used for de-oxygenation in the water treatment at the power plant in order to prevent corrosion in the steam, water and gas circuits of the steam boilers and in the district heating network. The hydrazine concentration in the water circulating in the district heating network is about 0.1mg/l and, as the solution is so highly diluted, it will not pose a health hazard to humans in the event of a possible district heat leak.
However, the district heating water circulating in the pipes may be boiling hot. Therefore, it is advisable to stay away from the leak in the event of a fault in the district heating network.