The history of Pori Energia
Pori Energia traces its origins back to 1897, when Otto Wilhelm Backman signed an agreement with the City of Pori to provide street lighting. On August 15, 1898, electric streetlights were switched on in Pori, making it the second city in Finland to introduce electric lighting.
District heating operations began in 1969, and now, more than 120 years later, over 50 percent of Pori residents live in apartment buildings, row houses, or detached homes heated by district heating produced by Pori Energia.
Light is the starting point of Pori Energia.
In 1898, the electricity utility was established with the main purpose of providing street lighting for the city
In 1969, district heating operations were launched
In 1989, Porin Lämpövoima Oy was established
In 1993, Pori Energia began producing wind power
In 1995, the electricity market was opened to competition
In 1997, the Pihlava power plant of Suomen Kuitulevy Oy was transferred to Porin Lämpövoima Oy
In 2000, the power plant of Outokumpu Harjavalta Metals Oy was transferred to Porin Lämpövoima Oy
In 2006, Pori Energia Oy was formed through the merger of Porin Lämpövoima Oy and the Pori Energia public utility
In 2006, the personnel of the Kaanaa power plant were transferred to Pori Energia Oy
In 2006, Pori Energia Sähköverkot Oy was established
In 2008, Suomen Teollisuuden Energiapalvelut – STEP Oy was established
In 2008, the new multi-fuel power plant in Kaanaa was commissioned
2020 Consumer electricity sales were transferred to Oomi
2022 Tuulia Energy Oy was established
2023 Pori Energia 125 years
2024 District heating 55 years
2025 Polhem Infra acquired 49% of the shares of Pori Energia
2026 Commissioning of the electric boiler at the Aittaluoto power plant
on august moment 1898
On 15 August 1898, electric lighting was switched on in the streets of Pori. The Kuopio-based printing entrepreneur Otto Wilhelm Backman had agreed a year earlier with the City of Pori on street lighting.
The origins of Pori Energia can be traced back to that August moment. The city was illuminated 120 years ago with one hundred lamps. Electricity arrived in Finland at the turn of the 1880s. The second electric light in Finland was lit in Pori. It was switched on in 1882, the same year as the first electric light in Finland was lit in Tampere. Rosenlew and the Seikku sawmill had their own early electricity production facilities.
The electricity utility was built along the river
The streets of Pori were illuminated from August to April. The annual compensation paid by the city for this was 21,000 marks. The largest early electricity customers were the parish, Hotel Otava, and the Pori Lyceum. Before electric lighting, the city was illuminated with candles. Residents of Pori were required, under threat of fines, to carry a lantern with a light during dark hours.
The electricity utility was built along the river, in the second district of the city. The building is remembered from former brewery restaurants. Lighting became more widespread throughout the 20th century. In 1906, the electricity utility came under the ownership of the City of Pori after the innovative start-up of the time went bankrupt. Rosenlew built its own steam power plant in 1913. At the same time, the city also planned to expand its own electricity utility. However, purchasing electricity was later seen as more economical, and the city’s own electricity utility remained as a backup.
history of district heating
As recently as the 1960s, apartment buildings in Pori still had coal cellar hatches along the streets. District heating operations began in 1969. The Pori Theatre building was the first to be connected to the district heating network. Now, 120 years later, over 50 percent of residents in Pori live in apartment buildings, row houses, or detached houses heated by district heating produced by Pori Energia. District heating is mainly produced using wood from the Satakunta region.
Porin Lämpövoima Oy was founded in 1989. At that time, it was jointly owned by Rauma-Repola and the City of Pori. A few years later, Rauma-Repola withdrew its ownership. Lämpövoima Oy produced electricity and heat at Aittaluoto. The municipal utility, in turn, managed the networks and end-customer sales. In 2005, Lämpövoima Oy purchased the electricity-related business operations from the city. At the same time, the company’s name was changed to Pori Energia Oy.