Karelian Villages – Intelligent Energy Services
Funded by Euregio Karelia Neighbourhood Programme 2001-2006

Objective of the project

The goal of the project was to develop an Intelligent Energy Services -concept (”Virtual Village”), which could be used to design and develop an entire heat supply chain of a community and real estates. The concept could be used to ensure the functionality and sufficient service level of community and real estate heating and to direct and select investments in maintenance and repairs.

Main activities

• Collection of material to gain a good understanding of the heating management systems in Northwest Russia, including their level, operational capacity and needs and opportunities for repair work, • Creation of a virtual village concept to target heating management development procedures in the most efficient way possible and to ensure long-term benefit from the procedures, • Designing a clear progress models on how the systems are to be developed within the framework of limited resources.

Achievements

The material was gathered in accordance with the project plan, which gave a good understanding of the heating management systems in Northwest Russia, including their level, operational capacity and needs and opportunities for repair work. A virtual village concept was created in the project, which supports and directs the development of heating management in the targeted area. It can be used to target heating management development procedures in the most efficient way possible and to ensure long-term benefit from the procedures. Clear progress models of how the systems were to be developed within the framework of limited resources were designed for the pilot sites. A significant increase in wellbeing in the Republic of Karelia and elsewhere in Russia can be established through the use of the developed operational model, tools and forms of cooperation. The project also increased cross-border cooperation within the industry as well as its prerequisites for operation and promoted the networked operational approach in Finnish companies when doing business with Russia. For example, extensive background material was gathered for Finnish companies to increase and deepen their knowledge of their respective target areas and to improve their opportunities for operation. Developing the level of Karelian heating management to meet, for example, the Finnish level, would require decades of extensive, well directed and effective investments. Cooperation is also needed in the future. This means activities such as maintaining the network and being present on-site in one way or another. Designing and initiating a training programme for Russian entities in the heating industry was proposed as a follow-up procedure. The preparation work has continued in cooperation with different counterparts following the project. Monitoring of the heating management industry market has actively continued after the project in the internal operations of companies, and results are gradually being generated. One joint venture has also been established after the project.