Vatajankoski signs a 6-year contract with Gradyent to optimize its heating system

Vatajankoski signed a 6-year contract with Gradyent to optimize its district heating system, which serves around 8,000 inhabitants in Kankaanpää and Niinisalo. This follows a successful two-year collaboration where the Digital Twin was implemented to enhance real-time operation, reduce heat losses, lower CO₂ emissions, and minimize operational costs. 

The Finnish energy company Vatajankoski provides district heating to c. 8,000 inhabitants across the town of Kankaanpää, supplying approximately 80 GWh of thermal energy annually.  

In December 2022, Vatajankoski partnered with Gradyent for an initial project to build the Digital Twin of its network in Kankaanpää and Niinisalo with the goal of optimizing the operation of the entire system in real time.  

Following a successful two-year-long collaboration, Vatajankoski signed a 6-year contract with Gradyent to continue optimizing and future-proofing its heating systems. 

Tangible benefits of a Digital Twin solution 

By implementing Gradyent’s Digital Twin, Vatajankoski achieved an end-to-end visibility on the network, with coverage spanning heat production sources to the final consumers.  

The Digital Twin optimization modules aim to reduce heat losses in the network, minimize the global operational costs of the heat production sources, and lower the CO₂ emissions of the entire system.  

“We chose Gradyent as our partner for multiple reasons. We believe that they have the expertise to utilise AI not only to optimize the heating network but also to efficiently integrate many different heat production sources and storages with each other at any given time. With the Digital Twin, we can also identify optimal locations for our future production plant and energy storage facilities. In addition, we found the Digital Twin user interface very user-friendly and easy to understand and use.” 

Lauri Hölttä, Production Director at Vatajankoski 

Image: Lauri Hölttä, Production Director at Vatajankoski

Boosting electrification in energy production 

Vatajankoski’s energy production portfolio includes a CHP unit running on a biomass-based fuel mix, several heat pumps, oil and gas-fired peak load and reserve boilers, and accumulators to increase the system flexibility. Moreover, the company recuperates waste heat from several data centres and a plasterboard factory.  

Among the design studies carried out by Gradyent in the previous project phase, Vatajankoski explored the opportunity to introduce electric boilers in its energy production mix. The e-boilers are now operational and ready to increase the electrification ratio of the energy production mix at Vatajankoski. 

To minimize the operational costs, ensure security of supply, and predict the operation in the next hours and days, the operation of this system implies a full understanding of the network, including its coupling with the electricity system. 

Towards a digitalized future 

The next steps in the project will centre around the implementation of new assets in the Digital Twin and its full integration in Vatajankoski’s operations via a co-pilot mode. 

“The long-term agreement builds on a highly successful collaboration. We will enable real-time dynamic optimization of the entire Vatajankoski district heating system end-to-end. This solution is at the cutting edge of available technology, making Vatajankoski the first district heating system in Finland enabled by a co-pilot with Digital Twin technology.”  

Michel de Koning, CCO at Gradyent