15 Mar 2017

Energy Companies Gather in Vaasa

Vaasa Energy Week is the major annual event for the energy industry in the Kvarken region. The week begins with business matchmaking between Umeå and Vaasa – the goal is to find the perfect partner.

“It’s a great opportunity for those who are thinking of establishing themselves internationally but want to start with a small step,” says organizer Johan Wasberg at Merinova in Vaasa.

Vaasa Energy Week attracted 4,300 people last year to network in cleantech areas such as solar, wind, water, and biofuels. In 2017, the event takes place from March 20-24, and the hope is that even more entrepreneurs and key figures in renewable energy will discover the benefits of gathering in one place.

“It is already the largest energy event in Finland, but we hope and believe in even more visitors this year, especially from the Umeå region,” says Johan Wasberg.

The energy cluster in Vaasa is a leader in the Nordic region and employs a total of 11,000 people. The combined annual turnover is 4.4 billion euros.

“There are great opportunities for collaboration for companies in Västerbotten and Örnsköldsvik. Like the Finns, we are also strong in the cleantech area. It certainly helps that we are close to each other both geographically and linguistically,” says Susanne W Lindström, project manager for international business at North Sweden Cleantech.

The week begins with business matchmaking – large Finnish companies such as Danfoss, Veo, and Wärtsilä are matched with smaller companies from Umeå.

“It is an opportunity to create business opportunities and get in touch with the right people at the companies that are large and important for our companies and partners,” says Susanne W Lindström.

For companies in Västerbotten, Finland is the largest export market, followed by Norway and Germany. Already today, there is cross-border business cooperation between the neighbors through the Cleantech Kvarken project. The project builds a bridge between the regional industry initiatives Energy Vaasa in Finland and North Sweden Cleantech in Sweden, which support the business development of companies in Västerbotten and Örnsköldsvik.

“We have much easier access to both large and small companies in Finland through our cooperation in Cleantech Kvarken. In the same way, we can help Finnish companies and facilitate their business on this side,” says Peter Hedman, project manager for North Sweden Cleantech and Cleantech Kvarken.

Throughout the energy week in Vaasa, numerous events are held to create business opportunities.

An important event during the week is the Energy Business Forum, where we will hear about business opportunities from eight countries. Participants will have the opportunity to network with, among others, the ambassadors of the United Kingdom and Chile, the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth, Invest Hong Kong, and several Finnish companies.

“It is important to emphasize that it is not just about selling and exporting – if we are to contribute to reduced carbon emissions, we must share our knowledge of clean energy,” says Susanne W Lindström.

Part of the government’s goal for sustainable development is to ensure that everyone has access to reliable, sustainable, and modern energy at an affordable cost by 2030.

During Vaasa Energy Week, participants include Skellefteå Kraft, Umeå Energi, and Region Västerbotten, as well as Prismalence, Cuedee, Racoon Environmental Filter, Nordic Flanges, and Örnalp Unozon.