Geothermal power in Laakso Joint Hospital, Finland
Overview
The Laakso Joint Hospital project, a collaborative effort between the City of Helsinki and HUS, represents a bold step forward in modern healthcare infrastructure in Finland. Spanning 2022 to 2030, this transformative initiative will reshape the Laakso Hospital area into a cutting-edge facility. The hospital integrates a psychiatric and neurological treatment section, rehabilitation and medical care facilities, including new premises for forensic psychiatry in the Ohkola area of Mäntsälä. The project focuses on environmental responsibility, with ambitious lifecycle targets including energy efficiency, lifecycle sustainability, respect for natural values and resource-wise construction. Notably, the use of renewable energy: geothermal, will play a pivotal role in drastically reducing the hospital’s carbon footprint and energy consumption.
The contract:
As part of the construction project, the hospital signed an agreement with Hanjin D&B (Drilling and Boring) for the drilling and end-to-end delivery of a geothermal energy well. The agreement consists not only of the drilling itself but includes well design, fixtures, test runs and training for the client's representatives. This solution responds to a long study of a variety of solutions for geothermal energy for the hospital's heat production. Geothermal presents to be a particularly suitable solution for densely built cities as it does not take up a lot of space and provides local, environmentally friendly energy:
“Geothermal wells are ideal for a densely built city — a deep well doesn’t take up space and it generates an unsurpassed amount of local environmentally friendly energy compared to commonly used geothermal heating,” says Sari Hildén, Chair of the Board of real estate company Laakso Joint Hospital (Kiinteistöosakeyhtiö Laakson yhteissairaala).
Consequently, the South Korean Hanjin D&B with its water hammer drilling technology was particular suitable given its very ecological way of drilling hard granite and preventing gaps and cracks on the rock surface when being filled with drilling sludge.
Technical projections:
The drilling of the first well will start early spring 2025, aiming at a well of 3000-3500 meters depth. The well will be located next to the hospital area at the Laakso's field. If successful two similar wells will be ordered, under the same terms and conditions as the first well. From the well, heat will be transferred to the hospital's technical facilitates that has the necessary technical equipment such as heat pumps and exchangers, from there, the geothermal heat will be transformed and transported to the hospital's local district heating.
Costs:
In total, the project is estimated at a value of €14.5 million: €5.9 million for the first well and €4.3 million for the two other wells each.
Summary
Depth of drilling: 3000-3500 m
Total amount of investments: €14.5 million: €5.9 million for the first well and €4.3 million for the two other wells each