Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; 8 November 2017:  Packing down its display from Vietwater 2017, the prominent Finnish delegation returns to Helsinki confident that its efforts have once again tightened ties between the two nations, as the Scandinavian country’s enterprises continue to make an impact on the fast growing south-east Asian nation.

Led by Finpro, the nation’s trade promotion body, 16 Finnish exhibitors this year participated in Vietwater, and commented on the remarkable progress firms from Finland have been able to make, notably in assisting with Vietnam’s waste and power issues.

“Finland is a world-leader in W2E (waste to energy) technology, and this has proven to be a segment of singular interest to Vietnam,” explained Finpro Program Manager – Waste to Energy and Bioenergy, Mr. Saku Liuksia.  “Vietnam has long struggled with issues of waste management, with a recent study estimating that Ho Chi Minh City alone is discharging 8,300 tons of waste each day, and 76% of that waste is ending up in landfill.  Meanwhile, power shortages and outages remain a part of daily life in the city – and some leading Finnish companies are at the forefront of addressing both of these issues.”

Since Finpro’s last Vietwater appearance, much progress has been made by Finnish companies operating in Vietnam’s clean energy space – particularly in converting Vietnam’s waste problem into a solution for Vietnam’s power-shortage problem, a virtuous circle from which Vietnam is the big winner from the expertise of world leading experts from Finland.

“Finland now converts around 90 percent of its municipal solid waste into power or recovers it for other purposes,” Saku continued. “In Finland, we have a target to close our remaining landfills in the coming years.  We would love to be able to contribute to Vietnam doing likewise in future.”

He highlighted the local efforts of several such enterprises, including Doranova which offers advanced solutions for contaminated sites remediation and transforms waste into renewable energy; Watrec, which has prioritized Vietnam for its development of biogas technology; and Valmet, which efficiently creates energy from biomass and waste.

Doranova Head of Renewable Energy, Mr. Mikko Saalasti, whose waste to energy project is expected to ‘fire up’ for the first time next month commented: “Vietnam delivered one of the largest projects Doranova has ever undertaken, with a 6 million euro 35,000 ton landfill gas plant currently under development just outside Ho Chi Minh City.  This project is expected to reduce the city’s landfill emissions, as well as provide additional power generation options from waste materials for residents and businesses in Vietnam’s largest metropolis to draw from.  Our landfill gas plant will further assist Vietnam in reducing its Greenhouse gas emissions.”

His counterpart at Watrec remarked that the company has made numerous visits to Vietnam in the past year, including Vietwater, and has accompanied Finnish Ministers to Vietnam to discuss the waste treatment options that the company can bring to Vietnam to make the developing nation cleaner and greener, on the streets, in the waterways, and in the generation of power.

“We have placed Vietnam atop our list of development countries,” Mr. Kimmo Tuppurainen, Area Sales Director, Southeast Asia, Watrec said.  “At present, our waste to energy project in Hanoi is commencing at present.  It is a total solution project that takes Hanoi’s municipal solid waste, sorts it and converts it to bio-gas and other materials to be incinerated.  Our projects will not just improve the way Vietnam lives by generating power from organic waste including that of the food industry and of municipal waste water sludge, but will also generate substantial and sustainable employment for people in and around Hanoi.”

Reflecting on the days he had just spent at Vietwater, Valmet Director, Asia Pacific & China, Mr. Matti Miinalainen commented that: “Vietnam is developing rapidly toward renewable sources of energy, and with a special focus in the W2E sector.  Valmet has a superb offering in this space from which Vietnam stands to benefit immensely.  We are further very active in the waste water segment, an area with which Vietnam grapples, in terms of its treatment nationally.  Over the course of my meetings with customers and the people we have met at Vietwater, a pressing need for the kind of expertise for which Finland is renowned has emerged, and we look forward to partnering with the nation in the years to come.”

About FinPro:

Waste to Energy and Bioenergy program promotes Finnish solutions in international markets. The program is managed by Finpro – Finland’s Trade and Investment Promotion Agency. Finpro has offices in 31 countries and its mission is to help Finnish businesses grow internationally, encourage foreign direct investment in Finland, and promote tourism. More information about Finnish waste to energy solutions: circularbioecofin.com