Helen achieved a historic 56% emissions reduction in 2025
Helen reduced its direct greenhouse gas emissions by 56% in 2025. The reduction is the largest in the company’s history and is primarily the result of ending the use of coal and the rapid electrification of heat production. The figures are based on Helen’s annual review published today.
Coal combustion ended with the closure of the Salmisaari power plant in April 2025, reducing Helsinki’s CO2 emissions by approximately 30% and Finland’s total emissions by nearly 2%. At the same time, significant investments in electric boilers, heat pumps and renewable electricity were completed, including the Niinimäki wind farm, which increased Helen’s wind power capacity to more than 900 MW.
CEO Olli Sirkka describes 2025 as a moment of transformation.
“The end of the coal era is one of the most significant milestones in Helen’s more than hundred-year history. At the same time as our direct emissions were halved compared with the previous year, they declined by 84% from 1990 levels. It is encouraging to see Helen’s strategy being translated from words into concrete actions that have meaning for the whole Finnish society,” says Sirkka.
Alongside the decline in emissions, the cost structure of district heating became lighter, enabling customer prices to be reduced on two occasions during the year.
In 2025, Helen’s total direct greenhouse gas emissions amounted to 0.6 million tonnes of CO2-eq, compared with 1.3 million tonnes the previous year. The specific emissions of energy production decreased from 114 g to 53 g of CO2-eq per kWh produced. The figures have been verified by an independent third party.
Helen’s ongoing investments in electric boilers and heat pumps will further reduce emissions in the coming years. In addition, development on SMR supports the company’s objective of phasing out combustion-based energy production by 2040. Sirkka views the future development as promising.
“I believe that Helen’s targets and the plans to achieve them form a winning combination. We will increase the flexibility of the energy system through electricity and heat storage, while improving Helen’s profitability by optimising our own production assets in line with our strategy,” Sirkka states.
Helen’s investments in a flexible energy system strengthen not only the company’s but also Finland’s competitiveness. A flexible energy system enables the full utilisation of low-cost electricity and smooths fluctuations in demand, improving the cost efficiency of the overall system. At the same time, it reinforces Finland’s position as a country where energy prices and availability support industrial growth and makes Finland an increasingly attractive European investment destination.