Fimpec is responsible for project management and supervision in a project to boost the capacity of Turun seudunpuhdistamo’s removal channel

Turun seudunpuhdistamo Oy has invested in a new removal channel and UV disinfection plant for the Kakolanmäki wastewater treatment plant, with the aim of reducing the wastewater load on the Turku sea region and to increase the operational reliability of the plant. Tunnelling and excavation were chosen as the method of implementation for the project.

Fimpec is responsible for project management, supervision and safety coordination in the project to boost the capacity of Turun seudunpuhdistamo’sKakolanmäki removal channel. Fimpec was chosen to take part in the product during the initial stage of implementation, and the commission involved managing the progress of the project, coordination, and risk management. Several service sector actors from Fimpec will participate in supervision at the site. The removal channel project will employ a maximum of around ten people from Fimpec, and the commission is expected to last until the project is complete in spring 2023.

The background for the project is the insufficient capacity of the existing removal channels used at Turun seudunpuhdistamo Oy’s Kakolanmäki wastewater treatment plant. The City of Turku’s storm water sewers are currently used, but their capacity is exceeded during periods of heavy rain. This means that the inflow of water to the wastewater treatment plant must be limited, and untreated wastewater makes its way into waterways. Storm water floods also cause disruption in the urban environment.

For that reason, Turun seudunpuhdistamo Oy is investing in a new removal channel and UV plant. A UV plant, where wastewater will be disinfected before entering the removal channel, will be built underground in connection with the existing wastewater treatment plant. After UV treatment, the wastewater leaving the treatment plant will meet hygiene requirements set for swimming waters. The new section of removal channel will be completed by excavating a tunnel from the treatment plant to Pansiontie road and from there, by tunnelling to the harbour basin. During tunnelling, a start pit will be made at the start of the pipe and an end pit will be made at the destination. The pipe will be bored and jacked from the start pit to the end pit. Although common in Europe, tunnelling is a new technique in Finland. The technical carbon footprint and energy consumption are significantly lower than that of open excavation. Tunnelling also causes less disruption to traffic and residents.

The commission is important to Fimpec, as it highlights the collaboration between the companies’ various business units. Industry, building systems and infrastructure construction management personnel from Fimpec are participating in the project. Fimpec’s project manager for the project, Esa Kunnassaari, describes the project as significant for the community.

“The project is unique in how multifaceted it is. The project is the first to utilise installation technology that has not previously been used to such an extent in Finnish conditions. It is also socially significant that once the project is complete, the environmental load on the sea will be noticeably reduced,” explains Kunnassaari.

“The removal channel project is the company’s largest investment after the commissioning of the wastewater treatment plant,” says Turun seudunpuhdistamo’s CEO MirvaLevomäki.

“The new removal channel will increase the wastewater treatment plant’s capacity and operational reliability, and the implementation of the new UV plant will significantly reduce the hygienic load on the Turku sea region,” adds Jarno Arfman, Turun seudunpuhdistamo Oy’s technical director, who led the project.

For more information, please contact:

Esa Kunnassaari
Project Manager
Fimpec Oy
+358 40 070 2621

Jorma Paananen
Business Unit Director, Infrastructure
Fimpec Oy
+ 358 40 034 7373

Mirva Levomäki
CEO
Turun seudun puhdistamo Oy
+358 40 712 6241

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