Feasibility Study for the Green Transition in Hepomäki
The feasibility study for the green transition in the Hepomäki area of Kuopio, known as the Hevisiirto project, aims to create a feasibility study for the Hepomäki area in Kuopio.
The goal of the City of Kuopio is to attract new companies related to the circular economy, green transition, and clean energy to settle in Hepomäki, as well as to develop the operations of companies already operating there. The background of the project and the project area delineation is the partial local master plan for Hepomäki from 2019.
The project receives funding from the EU’s Just Transition Fund (JTF) granted by the Regional Council of North Savo. The project is implemented by the City of Kuopio and the implementation period is from June 1, 2024, to February 28, 2026. The total budget of the project is €288,810, of which 80% is JTF grant funding, and the remaining is the city’s own funding.
Hepomäki Area
Hepomäki is located southwest of Kuopio, about 10 km from the city centre. The area is almost uninhabited, forested terrain. Since the beginning of the 1990s, Jätekukko Oy’s waste management centre, the Emergency Services Academy training ground, several soil extraction areas and other small-scale business activities have settled in the area. A partial local master plan was completed for the area in 2019, designating over 350 hectares of land as industrial areas (land-use designations T, TY, TV, and TP). This partial local master plan serves as the basis for the feasibility study conducted in the Hevisiirto project.
Green Transition
Green transition projects refer to projects that promote ecologically sustainable economy and growth. The projects are based on low-carbon solutions that promote circular economy and biodiversity. Green transition projects include, for example:
Clean energy production, such as solar power, wind power, biogas, and waste heat recovery,
Circular economy solutions and low-emission innovations in industry, such as investments in hydrogen technology and circular economy pilot plants.
Green transition and circular economy activities in the Hepomäki area could include, for example, further utilization of demolition waste and recycled batteries, solar power plants, production of synthetic fuels, and utilization of by-products and side-streams from other industries in Kuopio region.
Project Studies and Plans
The studies conducted in the project will examine the current state and opportunities of the green transition sector in Kuopio and Eastern Finland, familiarize with established circular economy areas elsewhere in Finland, investigate the construction conditions of the terrain in the area, and create a preliminary plan to support further land use planning. The project’s funding will be used to carry out the above-mentioned studies as consultancy work, which will be guided by experts from the Hevisiirto project and the city.
The project’s studies will be compiled into a single document, forming the Hepomäki feasibility study. In practice, this study will serve the future land-use planning and permit processes of the area. Additionally, information about similar areas implemented elsewhere in Finland and the companies that have settled in those areas will help the city to better assess which operators could settle in Hepomäki and what kind of permit processes they might require.
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In this work package, a survey of the current status of green transition business activities in Kuopio and Eastern Finland and what opportunities it has in the development of Hepomäki area is prepared. We will examine how similar areas have been developed elsewhere in Finland, for example, what kind of planning and permit processes have been required by industrial establishments related to the green transition. At the same time, current and potential future operators of Hepomäki are mapped and they are involved.
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This work package examines the buildability of the soil and the current infrastructure and its development needs.
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In this work package, more detailed groundwater studies and stormwater plans are carried out than in the partial local master plan phase. The scope of the studies is finally determined in the preliminary plan phase.
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In this work package, the nature surveys of the partial local master plan are updated and supplemented as necessary.
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In this work package, a preliminary plan governing Hepomäki area´s land use and an infrastructure plan will be prepared. In this context, the extent of the area where detail plans will later be made is defined, and the plot potential will be investigated, i.e. where different companies could be located in the future. The information produced in other reports of the project is also collected and utilized.
More Information about the Project
Hevisiirto project in the EURA project information service (in Finnish).
Materials of the Hepomäki partial master plan (in Finnish).
See the map image of the Hepomäki area
Hevisiirto project area delineation (pdf, in Finnish)
