Pöyry to design underground wastewater treatment plant in Finland

Finnish consultancy firm Pöyry has been awarded engineering assignments for a wastewater treatment plant in Espoo by Helsinki Region Environmental Services (HSY).

As part of the deal, Pöyry will take responsibility to provide the structural and architectural design of the Blominmäki treatment plant.

The assignments also include electrical, instrumentation and automation design, area planning, and the geotechnical engineering of aboveground structures.

Expected to be completed in 2020, the facility will replace the existing Suomenoja treatment plant.

To be built mainly underground in caverns excavated into bedrock, the new plant will have the capacity to treat the wastewater from 400,000 residents.

Pöyry Finland local industry project services president Kari Aalto said: "The plant will be designed to be as energy self-sufficient as possible. The digestion of waste sludge produces gas for the production of power and heat. Self-sufficiency is also supported by solar panels, smart lighting solutions and the energy-efficient power supply system.

"Our electrical, instrumentation and automation design ensures that the different systems work seamlessly together."

Pöyry has prepared rock mechanics and geotechnical designs for the facility at an earlier stage of the project, while design processes under the new assignments started in March this year.

Financial terms of the deal have not been revealed.

HSY treatment plant project director Jukka Yli-Kuivila said: "Our cooperation with Pöyry regarding the bedrock and geotechnical design in Blominmäki has proceeded well as in our previous assignments.

"The bedrock design process continues, with excellent cooperation between the designer, client, contractor and CM consultant. This is why we have high expectations for the detailed engineering of Blominmäki."