kids encyclopedia robot

Fortum facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Fortum Oyj
Julkinen osakeyhtiö
Traded as OMX: FORTUM
Industry Electricity
Predecessor Imatran Voima (IVO)
Founded
  • 1998; 26 years ago (1998)
Headquarters ,
Area served
Nordic countries, Poland, Russia, India
Key people
  • Veli-Matti Reinikkala (Chairman)
  • Markus Rauramo (President and CEO)
  • Bernhardt Günther (CFO)
Products Electric power
Heat
Revenue Increase €49.015 billion (2020)
Increase €1.855 billion (2020)
Total assets Increase €57.810 billion (2020)
Total equity Increase €15.577 billion (2020)
Owner Government of Finland,
Finnish National Institutions (Kela, Keva, State Pension Fund, City Councils of Kurikka, Turku and Kauhajoki) (53.03%)
Number of employees
Increase 19,933 (2020)
Subsidiaries Uniper (75.01%)

Fortum Oyj is a Finnish state-owned energy company located in Espoo, Finland. In addition to Finland, it is focusing on Germany and other countries in the Central Europe, Great Britain, and the Nordic. Fortum operates power plants, including co-generation plants, and generates and sells electricity and heat. The company also sells waste services such as recycling, reutilisation, final disposal solutions and soil remediation and environmental constructions services, and other energy-related services and products e.g. consultancy services for power plants and electric vehicle charging. Fortum is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki stock exchange.

In 2020 Fortum was the biggest company in Finland by its revenue. The majority of its income comes from Uniper that became Fortum's subsidiary in March 2020. Uniper is listed at the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Fortum is Europe's third largest producer of carbon-free electricity, Europe's second largest producer of nuclear power and one of the largest gas suppliers.

History

Imatran Voima (1932–1997)

The predecessor of Fortum was Imatran Voima (IVO), which was founded in 1932 to operate the Imatrankoski hydroelectric power plant in Imatra.

The construction of the Imatra power plant began already in 1922 as well as the power lines from Imatra to Helsinki and the power plant was opened in May 1929. Finnish Government made a decision to establish Imatran Voima Osakeyhtiö (IVO) on May 1932.

Imatran Voima acquired and built a number of other power plants, such as the largest hydroelectric power plants along the Oulujoki river, Ingå and Naantali coal-fired powerplants and the Loviisa nuclear power plant.

In 1997, a merger agreement was made between Neste and IVO.

1998–2010

Fortum Corporation was founded in 1998. It was created from the merging of Imatran Voima and Neste Oy, the Finnish national oil company.

In 2003, Fortum bought parts of Fredrikstad Energi and Fredrikstad Energi Nett in a swap deal with E.ON.

In 2005 most of Neste's assets were divested into a separate stock-listed company Neste Oil.

In 2007, Fortum acquired 25.66% stake in TGK-1, operating in northwest Russia. In 2008, Fortum privatized the natural gas, power and heat generation company TGK-10 (now: OAO Fortum), operating in central and northern Russia.

2011–current

In 2011, Fortum sold its 25% stake in the Finnish transmission system operator Fingrid. In December 2013 Fortum announced the sale of its distribution network in Finland to Suomi Power Networks, owned by First State Investments (40%), Borealis Infrastructure (40%), Keva (12,5%) and LähiTapiola (7,5%).

In 2012, Fortum shared the number one position in the Carbon Disclosure Project's Nordic climate index.

In 2013, Fortum opened two new CHP utilities using waste as a fuel in Klaipėda, Lithuania, and Brista [sv], Sweden as well as new biomass-fuelled CHP plants in Jelgava, Latvia, and Järvenpää, Finland. In June, Fortum acquired a 5 MW solar power plant in the state of Rajasthan in India. In September Fortum signed an agreement with Rosatom and British Rolls-Royce Engines to develop nuclear power.

In 2014 Fortum sold its Norwegian electricity distribution network and also its stakes in Fredrikstad Energi and Fredrikstad Energi Nett to the Hafslund Group. The heat business was sold to iCON Infrastructure Partners II, L.P. fund. Since 2015 the electrical distribution network in Sweden is owned by Ellevio.

In 2015 Fortum connected its first greenfield solar park, under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) Phase II initiative, in Madhya Pradesh.

In 2015, Fortum completed the divestment of its electricity distribution network in Sweden thus completing the divestment of electricity distribution business. In 2016, Fortum acquired Grupa DUON S.A, an electricity and gas sales company in Poland, and Ekokem Corporation, a leading Nordic circular economy company specialised in material and waste recycling, final disposal solutions, soil remediation and environmental construction.

In 2017, the 100 MW plant in Pavagada solar park was connected to the grid. It was the first of a series of planned gigawatt-scale plants facilitated by reverse auctions in India. In September, Fortum announced it would buy E.ON's 47% stake in German power company Uniper. Fortum increased its stake to 75% in spring 2020. Uniper mainly uses oil, natural gas and coal to supply electricity.

In 2020 Fortum and Kværner informed that they would cooperate on a Carbon capture and storage project for waste incineration at .

In 2021 Fortum sold its business in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to Partners Group.

Operations

Hydro power

Imatrankoski power plant
Imatrankoski hydroelectric power plant.

Hydro power is one of the most significant renewable electricity production form for Fortum. In 2021 Fortum owned or co-owned over 150 hydro power plants in Finland and Sweden, including power plants on the Dalälven, Indalsälven and Ljusnan rivers in central Sweden and on the Oulujoki, Kemijoki and Vuoksi rivers in Finland.

Nuclear power

In 2021 Fortum owned the nuclear power plant in Loviisa, Finland. Its nuclear assets also cover Sweden with a 43% share ownership in the Oskarshamn Nuclear Power Plant and 22% of three Forsmark Nuclear Power Plants. Furthermore, Fortum owns a 27% stake in the Teollisuuden Voima, which operates two nuclear power plants at Olkiluoto.

Combined production of heat and electric power (cogeneration or CHP)

Fortum produces and sells heat in Nordic countries, Russia and Poland, with 26 plants combining production of heat (district heating) and electric power. Fortum is the 5th largest heat producer globally.

Electricity and heat sales

Fortum sells electricity, electricity products and services to 1.3 million customers in Sweden, Finland, Norway and Poland. In 2014, Fortum closed its 1,000 MW coal power plant at Ingå (Finland) and demolished it in 2020. The company also owns and operates about 1,200 km (750 mi) of district heat network in Finland, 2,400 km (1,500 mi) in Sweden, 860 km (530 mi) in Poland and 480 km (300 mi) in Russia.

Solar power

The company has stated that its ambition is to build a small photo-voltaic solar portfolio to gain experience in different solar technologies and in operating in the Indian power market. Fortum also sells solar power kits in the Nordic countries.

Recycling and waste solutions

Fortum provides environmental management and material efficiency services in the Nordics. Services include recycling, reutilisation, and final disposal solutions, as well as soil remediation and environmental construction services.

Environmental record

In 2014 Fortum had the biggest market share of ecolabeled electricity in Finland. With three hydropower plants, seven biomass plants and four wind parks the company had also more EKOenergy certified power stations than any other company in Finland.

After acquiring a majority stake in Uniper in 2020, Fortum will become one of the EU's worst emitters of greenhouse gas emissions, asserted a report backed by major European environmental groups in 2019. Extinction Rebellion Finland accused Fortum for greenwashing for continuing and scaling up its fossil fuel business, for example opening (through Uniper) Dateln4 coal-fired power plant in Germany in 2020 and suing the Netherlands on the basis of the Energy Charter Treaty for banning coal.

Fortum intends to be carbon neutral by 2050 at the latest and by 2035 for its European production. The work began in Espoo, where the use of coal was reduced. In Germany, the Hayden power plant was closed at the end of 2020. By the end of 2025, 75% of Germany's coal capacity will be closed. The Dutch coal-fired power plant will be closed by the end of 2029. Datteln 4 from Germany will be the last plant to be closed, by 2038. According to Finnish Greenpeace the changes are made too slowly as it would like all the plants to be closed already by 2030. Fortum is planning to replace the coal capacity by new wind and solar power. Hydropower and nuclear power operations are also being developed and in Russia renewable energy is taken into use.

Social responsibility

In February 2014, Fortum equipped three schools with solar-powered infrastructure in Bhilwara, India where they had a solar plant.

kids search engine
Fortum Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.