Construction of Pyhäsalmi mine’s solar farm begins

The construction of the 13 MW Callio Solar Park I, planned for the Pyhäsalmi mine area at Pyhäjärvi, will begin with preparatory earthworks. The solar farm is being implemented by the project company Callio Hitura Solarpark Oy, which is backed by Solarigo Systems Oy and Skarta Energy Oy.

Finland’s first solar farm designed for a mining area will be built in Pyhäsalmi. Construction begins with preparatory earthwork. The project will continue with the installation of solar panels, which will start in June and the commercial production of the solar farm will start in late 2024. The solar farm will be built on the mine’s decommissioned and filled tailing pond. The Callio Solar Park project aims to create the conditions for harnessing decommissioned mining areas for solar power production on a larger scale, first in Finland and then in the Nordic countries. The solar farm is built by Solarigo Systems Oy.

Callio Solar Park I is large in scale, consisting of a total of 20,000 solar panels. The park’s 13 MW capacity is the same as that of Finland’s largest solar farm at the moment. The solar farm will be located in an enclosed tailing pond, as the area is otherwise difficult to use and cannot be used for planting trees or making permanent structures.

"Finland has a huge number of decommissioned landfills and wastelands with enormous potential for solar energy. The decision to invest in Callio is a significant goal achieved through cooperation and a concrete demonstration of harnessing this potential," says Vikke Saarelainen, Vice President of Skarta Energy Oy.

The electricity generated by Callio Solar Park I is mainly utilised on site. When the underground operations of the Pyhäsalmi mine ends, the Callio business area will be developed in the vicinity of the mine, with operators making use of the mine’s existing infrastructure, and the future solar farm. Lumme Energia Oy is responsible for portfolio management of the solar farm, i.e. production optimisation and market operation.

"The solar farm is the first energy project to be built in our Callio business area. The project is an important milestone, as clean electricity is becoming an even more important factor for companies to invest in," comments CEO Henrik Kiviniemi, Pyhäjärven Callio.

"It’s great to see that the work done to reuse the mine is paying off. I am looking forward to see our remaining concentrator run on solar energy," says mine manager Aki Tuikka, Pyhäsalmi Mine Oy.

Callio Solar Park I is part of the Callio-Hitura Solar Park project, the first phase of which will be located in Callio. The second phase of the project, the Hitura mine solar farm, continues with planning and permitting. The total investment for the project is EUR 61 million. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment has awarded the project a Next Generation EU grant of EUR 12.1 million. The project has been prepared in cooperation with Pyhäjärvi Callio and Pyhäsalmi Mine Oy in Callio as well as the city of Nivala and the owner of Hitura mining area in Nivala.