Different aspects of responsibility

Vantaa Energy takes various dimensions of responsibility into account in its operations. We make good choices and carry out acts taking account of the environmental viewpoint, as well as the financial and social responsibility aspects.

Environmental responsibility can be seen in all activities of Vantaa Energy. Commitment to pursuing carbon negativity and the transition to completely fossil-free energy production are clear measures, which are our contribution as an energy company to the prevention of climate change. The action is directed by the carbon neutrality targets of the European Union, the Government of Finland and the City of Vantaa.

– In Vantaa, there is no industry that produces significant amounts of carbon dioxide emissions, and therefore traffic and energy are the biggest causes of carbon dioxide emissions in our region. Therefore, we play an important part in reducing carbon dioxide emissions, and with our fossil-free and carbon negativity targets we contribute to achieving the city’s carbon neutrality target, explains Vantaa Energy’s CEO Jukka Toivonen.

In addition, Vantaa Energy has a great role in reducing traffic emissions from the viewpoint of electricity distribution. Vantaa already has a strong electricity network, but it will be developed further in the future.

– Over the next few years, traffic will become more and more electrified. Therefore, the outlook of Vantaa Energy is to enable an even better infrastructure for electricity distribution, which will promote the development of e-mobility.

Money comes back to owner cities

A good financial situation is a basis that enables all significant responsibility measures and, in general, responsible business operations. From the viewpoint of financial responsibility, the most important task of Vantaa Energy is to ensure that the business operations are profitable also in the future.

– Profitable business operations require rapid phasing out of the use of fossil fuels, and we have already carried out this in an innovative way and will continue the work also in the future. This year, we will already reach a situation where natural gas will be the only fossil fuel we use, specifies Toivonen.

The company’s operations were also profitable in 2021, and the owners, the Cities of Vantaa and Helsinki, were paid a total of EUR 17 million in dividends.

– By operating efficiently, offering energy at a favourable price and with a stable price level, and by producing a smooth flow of dividend payments, we promote the wellbeing of the owner cities and the residents of these cities. When the money received from the customers is spent wisely, it will come back to the owners as dividends and, ultimately, it will be seen in the basic public services produced by our owner cities.

Vantaa Energy also creates new business operations and that way wealth to its surrounding areas. A good example is the extension of the waste-to-energy plant that will enable sorting of waste, which used to be exported, as well as material recycling in Finland, and the utilisation of the remaining combustible waste in energy production.

Investments in wellbeing

In 2021, as so many other organisations, the employees of Vantaa Energy had to work in an exceptional operating environment in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, we invested in the wellbeing of employees even more than before.

– Absence due to sickness has fallen, but the exceptional times seem to continue further, and therefore we will focus on taking care of the wellbeing of our employees also in the future. We also place an even more determined emphasis on the prevention of occupational accidents, Toivonen comments.

Last year, Vantaa Energy was also able to offer the most favourable price for heat in the Helsinki region, and its electricity distribution price was among the cheapest in Finland. This provides even more financial leeway for the everyday lives of our customers. We will adhere to competitive and stable prices also in the future.

As a good corporate citizen, Vantaa Energy is also involved in the events in the Vantaa region and in the promotion of sporting activities.