17.11.2020 | Axpo Finland moves into new premises in the World Trade Center Helsinki
Being literally close to the customer
One of the most important recipes for being successful in the area of origination, which deals with tailored customer solutions and Power Purchase Agreements (PPA), is customer proximity. In this context, Axpo Finland decided to relocate from its previous office in the vicinity of the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport to the World Trade Center in the city center of the Finnish capital.
From its new office, the company will serve customers in the Finnish market even more closely than before. The premises are perfectly suited for this endeavor: the World Trade Center (WTC) is located in the middle of the business district of the Finnish capital. At the junction of Helsinki’s main thoroughfares, WTC is just within walking distance from the airport city terminal, central railway station, public transport and one of the main passenger harbors. Furthermore, the building is surrounded by both the offices of the biggest banks and the head offices of major companies, and Finland’s most important administrative buildings.
Customers and counterparties a stone’s throw away
Harri Piipponen, Country Manager Axpo Finland, states: “It’s key for our business activities in energy trading and origination to be close to the customers. WTC is one of the most attractive business locations in the city center of Helsinki. What makes it unique is the comfortable, international working environment and the central location. Especially the latter makes it much easier to set up meetings with customers and counterparties.”
A perfect situation – as there’s a lot of potential for further growth in Finland. In fact, the Finnish market will become even more important for Axpo in the coming years: The country’s renewable energy sources – mainly hydro power and wind energy – represent approximately 40 per cent of energy end-consumption. The Finnish Government’s National Energy and Climate Strategy to 2030 aims to increase the use of renewables to more than 50 per cent of energy end-consumption during the 2020s.
Clear focus on wind energy
Especially Finland’s onshore wind market continues to see high levels of investor demand and a clear trend towards further PPAs.
Harri Piipponen comments: “In the past years, we have continuously expanded our business in Finland and signed several PPAs. For instance, we agreed to buy the full output generated by the 30 MW Kröpuln and the 30 MW Storbacken wind farms currently under construction in Finland’s Ostrobothnia region. Most of the wind farms are located on the West Coast of Finland where there’s a lot of wind. And there’s more to come: As a leading marketer of power from renewable energies in the Nordic region, it is our ambition to get a slice of that growing pie.”
Axpo Finland was established in 2009 in order to strengthen Axpo's market presence in the eastern parts of the Nordic region. In recent years, it has been growing constantly. Axpo’s Finnish subsidiary offers standard and structured products as well as other commodity related products. When it comes to the wind energy business, the company has a comprehensive portfolio of wind farms and is active both on the buy-side and the sale-side.
Axpo Finland is a subsidiary of Axpo Nordic which consists of 40 employees with extensive experience of the Nordic and Baltic energy markets. The focus of Axpo Nordic’s business activities is on long-term power supply and purchase agreements. Besides the PPA business, Axpo Nordic specializes in developing tailored products for its customers, such as retailers, industry, and producers, and providing corresponding services.
