MILWAUKEE — Monopoly? Old news. Uno? Been there and done that. Two Milwaukee game developers are hoping their new board game makes it big The mother-daughter duo of Stacy and Annabelle Tornio created Lucky Bears “Lucky Bears is our National Parks board game that we decided to create my senior year of high school," Annabelle Tornio said so let’s do a board game," Stacy Tornio said Annabelle Tornio could have gotten a job her senior year of high school but she went the entrepreneurial route and created this game instead They combined their passion for board games and nature into what they hope is a big seller "I would say my favorite thing is the tokens I know I love our tokens because each of them has unique artwork that features each of the national parks and it shows the best features of that park," Annabelle said This is the first time either of them have done anything like this While Stacy did work as a small board game developer for two years and producing the game took about 10 months They were able to fund it all after raising more than $15,000 through Kickstarter Watch the video to see what Lucky Bears game play looks like.. “But the logistics side was like terrifying like are you going to be profitable," Stacy said The two had to figure out the box dimensions and everything else you can think of when it comes to manufacturing a game the duo wanted to make sure the packaging and fabrication process was sustainable "We wanted to make sure that we were going with a company that had sustainability practices in place and we also didn't want to have any plastic or unnecessary materials in our game," Annabelle said While they might be independent game developers Lucky Bears looks like any game you’d see inside Target “It doesn't look like it’s any less quality than a Catan on the shelves or anything else and that’s something we're super proud of," Stacy said but learning the rules for a new one is tough this happens: someone tells you all the rules a complicated game that you don't fully understand They assure you that "you'll catch on as you play." But you don't really catch on The game continues and it's confusing and frustrating All that can lead you to not even liking the game Stacy and Annabelle wanted to ensure their game was actually easy to understand and fun to play “The rules of the game are 1 page like that’s it So we didn’t want it to be complicated," Stacy said It takes about two to three minutes to learn Here is almost the entire description of the game rules from Annabelle: "Take all your tokens and shuffle them face down on the board or you can just leave them in the bag whatever is your preference but we recommend putting them face down on the playing surface that you're playing with And then each player will take 5 tokens and place them diagonally on the (paws) but there in numerical order from top to bottom scissors to see who gets to pick up a token first And then you’re going to take turns picking up a token from the pile looking at it and placing it on your board from numerical order from left to right and top to bottom And the goal is to get your whole board filled before the other player.” They had about 75 people test the game to make the user experience as easy as possible The game will be available for shipping at the end of September. Go to the Lucky Bears website to pre-order a copy Stacy and Annabelle are already happy with what they accomplished They took a game from concept to product and overcame all the hurdles along the 10-month process they are just happy with what they accomplished “If our game does go farther and people do like it and it sells a bunch I feel like we’ve succeeded," Annabelle said Every once in a while there's a new game that takes everyone by storm like Codenames or Catan The creators of Lucky Bears hope the same happens to them Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more. Report a typo or error // Submit a news tip Report a typo Milwaukee Tonight focuses on the people, places, and events that make the community special. From artists to architecture, food to festivals, neighborhoods to nightlife - this show is a nightly reminder that our city is filled with stories to be proud of. Watch weekdays at 6:30 p.m. on TMJ4. “The border area between Finland and Sweden is an exceptional state border region where the community structure does not follow state borders (the Tornio-Haparanda area) and where cross-border interaction and cooperation are intensive in various areas of life,” Hannele Taavila the Police Director in Finland told Eye on the Arctic “Finland and Sweden wanted to further enhance police cooperation the northern municipalities were chosen as cooperation areas.” police from both countries will be allowed to cross the border under certain conditions to respond quickly to serious incidents or emergencies The cooperation will primarily affect the border areas of Finland and Sweden it will apply to the municipalities of Enontekiö it will impact the municipalities of Haparanda The agreement was approved by Finland’s President on May 17 both countries gave their official approvals and a government decree has now put the agreement into effect Northern policing unions have long called for stronger cooperation to address the rising threat of organized crime where criminal groups can take advantage of the area’s unique vulnerabilities This agreement is just one of the building blocks toward better collaboration so we need to work together more efficiently,” Jonne Rinne told Eye on the Arctic in an interview before Helsinki approved the agreement “We need to benchmark and share information with our colleagues across the Nordic region and Europe,” Rinne who is also President of the European Confederation of Police “We don’t need to reinvent the wheel—we need to learn from each other and Sweden issued an explicit joint statement urging closer collaboration They emphasized the need for a unified response especially in the face of increasing violence linked to gang crime in Sweden which is now spilling over into neighboring countries “Today’s organized crime is capturing new markets for its drug and arms trade as well as serious economic and professional crimes,” the joint statement said it is no longer possible for us to do our jobs in the old way.” The agreement is set to be implemented in 2026 after authorities complete the training for the participating police officers during which Finnish and Swedish police will familiarize themselves with each other’s legislation and use-of-force rules while the language issue may seem like an obstacle on the outside Finland’s unique linguistic makeup presents a solution “Finnish and Swedish are both national languages in Finland and we’ve all been taught Swedish in school and at the police academy,” Rinne said “But what happens when you’re in a high-risk high-stress situation and need to use a language that’s not your mother tongue Rinne noted that the issue can be addressed where bilingual officers who speak Swedish as their mother tongue and are fluent in Finnish are already in place police from neighboring countries will be allowed to cross the border to prevent or interrupt serious crimes This is particularly important in the Arctic where the nearest police station may be located in the neighboring country rather than within the country where the crime is occuring the host country’s police will take over and conduct the investigation “Cooperation will always follow the laws of the country where the operation is taking place,” Taavila explained “It’s important to remember that a police patrol from the other country arriving at the crime scene under the agreement will only take initial steps to prevent the crime The host country’s police must always arrive at the scene to complete the operation.” The precise implementation date for the agreement in 2026 will be announced in the coming months This story is posted on the Barents Observer as part of Eye on the Arctic a collaborative partnership between public and private circumpolar media organizations Published by: The Independent Barents Observer AS About us The Barents Observer follows the Code of Ethics of the Norwegian Press and the document Right and Duties of the Editor We report under full editorial independence and have no external interference Donate to our independent journalism Støtt oss via Vipps: 105 792 - Det betyr mye newstips@thebarentsobserver.com atle@thebarentsobserver.com thomas@thebarentsobserver.com☏ +47-905 73 143 denis@thebarentsobserver.com georgii@thebarentsobserver.com liza.vereykina@thebarentsobserver.com olesia@thebarentsobserver.com Privacy policy the third newbuild owned by Finland-based shipping company Langh Ship arrived for the first time in Tornio in Finland The new energy-efficient and low-emission vessel will be deployed in the Outokumpu liner service Built by Wuhu Xinlian Shipbuilding in China the 7,800 dwt multipurpose dry cargo vessel features a length of 119.9 meters and a width of 16.5 meters The dual-fuel ship can be powered by heavy fuel oil (HFO) as well as liquefied natural gas (LNG) The ship’s tank is both methanol and ammonia ready According to the company, a further reason to celebrate is that, with the addition of these ships, the CO2 emissions in the liner service are reduced by one-third for each carried ton of steel. The vessels transport the steel coils from Outokumpu steel mill in Tornio to Terneuzen in the Netherlands, where Outokumpu has a processing plant. The energy-efficient hull design and advanced technical solutions of the vessels enable the significant reduction in carbon emissions. On the Day of the Seafarers, Langh Ship highlighted the special skills that are required by the crew when operating to the northernmost port in the Baltic Sea year-round. The harsh winter conditions and ice navigation make this a challenging route. “We are proud of the crew on all of our vessels. A tribute to all the seafarers at Langh Ship on this Day of the Seafarer,” Laura Langh-Lagerlöf, managing director of Langh Ship, commented. Daily news and in-depth stories in your inbox Build your success on solid foundations Since 2008 EEW SPC produces thick-walled, longitudinally welded large pipes for foundations, with currently diameters of up to 12 m, lengths of up to 120 m and up to 2,500 t piece weights with an annual capacity of approx. 200,000 t. Under these conditions, we are perfectly prepared to […] Open image viewerPassengers at Haparanda Station which has connections to Sweden's main north-south rail lines 16:52The rail connection between Finland to Sweden has been electrified Electrification of the last section of the line from southern Finnish Lapland to northern Sweden Now all that is missing is passenger traffic Minister of Transport and Communications Lulu Ranne (Finns) says that her ministry is completing a study on how to implement a passenger train connection from Tornio to its neighbouring Swedish town of Haparanda Open image viewerMap showing train connections in parts of northern Finland and Sweden Ranne joined Swedish Infrastructure Minister Andreas Carlson for ceremonies marking the completion of the electrification of the Laurila-Haparanda line in Tornio and Haparanda Open image viewerThe rail bridge between Tornio there is so far no agreement on funding for the long-delayed cross-border rail project it would be possible to start operations at the turn of 2025–26," she said it would be possible to travel by train from Helsinki to Stockholm "The goal is to have passenger trains running between Finland and Sweden as soon as possible [now that] the electrification has been completed next year at the latest," Tornio Mayor Jukka Kujala told Yle a ministerial adviser at the Transport Ministry says that it could take less than a year to make the arrangements – but possibly up to two years Funding remains open – and that is a political decision as public financing is essential Studies by the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency (Traficom) indicate that passenger rail traffic based solely on ticket revenue is not financially viable anywhere in the country Kujala hopes that the government will earmark the necessary funding in its spring budget framework talks the annual support needed would be a maximum of 1.4–2.1 million euros Another major issue to be resolved is the choice of operator and the related legal issues Nykänen says the ministry is currently considering whether the operation should be put out to tender whether the operation of the section can be included in the current contract with state rail operator VR or whether a new contract should be signed have both expressed interest in starting passenger services linking Oulu Four years ago – after a hiatus of over 30 years – a passenger train connection opened linking Haparanda to southbound and northbound long-distance train routes via Luleå and Boden it takes about seven hours across another border to Narvik on the Norwegian Sea Last autumn, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre discussed the need to improve Nordic cross-border rail connections for potential military use or other crises Finland’s National Emergency Supply Agency (Nesa) is among the financial backers of the Finnish-Swedish border rail project Open image viewerThe upgraded rail bridge between Finland and Sweden Image: Antti Ullakko / YleThe train connection between Finland and Sweden is part of the Bothnian Arc transport plan bankrolled by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment and other bodies in 2023 The connection would also enable the expansion of the EU’s Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) there is no regular commercial freight traffic between Tornio and Haparanda according to Traficom railway director Jukka Ronni VR says it could increase transport on this route if need be One long-running problem has been that Finland's track gauge is wider than the standard gauge used in Sweden and most of the rest of Europe which at that point included present-day Finland and Estonia The European standard gauge is 1435 millimetres used virtually everywhere except in Ireland and the Iberian peninsula a bogie change track was installed at the Tornio railway yard which allows for changing of the track gauge the switching track method is mainly suitable for individual transfers from one rail network to another it is now usually simpler to transfer loads using a ramp in Tornio longer adjacent transfer loading tracks would be needed for efficient transfer loading An bogie exchange station has long been in use at Turku harbour to accommodate freight cars coming from or heading to Germany and Sweden by ship Approximately 22 kilometres of track was electrified from the village of Laurila in the Finnish Lapland municipality of Keminmaa to the Swedish border The safety of the level crossings on the track section has been improved The River Tornio marks the border between the two countries Necessary modifications have been made to the Tornio and Haparanda railyards The cost estimate is approximately 37 million euros with Sweden chipping in about seven million euros The Finnish share is being paid by Traficom and Nesa – with EU support – as well as Tornio and Keminmaa Users with an Yle ID can leave comments on our news stories. You can create your Yle ID via this link. Our guidelines on commenting and moderation are explained here Outokumpu to expand the use of robotics in safety management – first ANYmal robot “Jokkeri” started operating at the company’s site in Tornio the global leader in sustainable stainless steel started to utilize artificial intelligence and safety inspection robots a year ago to improve and digitize the company’s facilities’ health and safety monitoring The deal was signed with a Swiss robotics company ANYbotics in early 2023 followed by the first ANYmal robots arriving at Outokumpu’s sites in Krefeld the use of robotics is now expanding to Finland with the first robot starting its operations at the company’s ferrochrome plant in Tornio ANYmal robotics supports Outokumpu’s vision of achieving the lowest accident frequency rate in the industry by 2025 “Use of AI and robotics for safety management is one of the cornerstones of our safety strategy ANYbotics’ robot technology is helping us to increase safety by reducing employee exposure to hazardous substances and environments optimize production through preventive maintenance decrease environmental impacts and to collect data Our estimation in 2023 was that by transferring inspection tasks to the robot employees’ exposure time to hazardous substances could have reduced by more than 80% and possibly hazardous repairs in maintenance by 20% We have taken good steps forward and we are excited to implement robotics into our ferrochrome business as well” Outokumpu now has three robots operating at its sites – Rosie in Germany and Jokkeri in Finland – with multiple daily tasks the robot is working to reduce the time employees must spend in acid areas during inspections with a total of 90 inspection points per shift the robot currently has comparable tasks with the one in Sweden with an aim to inspect both the furnace and the insulation areas in the near future The ANYmal robots use a simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) method with Lidar sensors to detect obstacles and follow predefined routes and inspection points Pioneering robotics in ferrochrome business Outokumpu’s Ferrochrome plant was the first operational unit in Tornio there are approximately 230 people working at the plant and three submerged arc furnaces (SAF) two sintering plants and a coke drying unit with a total annual ferrochrome production capacity of 530 kilo tonnes Safety plays an essential role at the plant where several process industry safety hazards are present and hazardous chemical compounds require special attention the robot is focusing on reducing personnel exposure to noise and vibration when measuring temperatures from different bearings and gearboxes and by checking conveyor belt positioning to see that they are running in correct positions Introducing the robot in Tornio is a further step towards an even safer environment and increasing the efficiency of routine processes this robot technology is only one part of the technical innovations for safety Valto 360-dimensional view of the factory makes it possible to walk inside the factory and get acquainted with the equipment locations without physically visiting the area” driverless transport systems and collaborative robots (Cobots) to improve safety and productivity The long-term strategy is to invest in new technologies and to create intelligent plants where people and machines collaborate hand in hand Autonomous robotic inspection solutions - ANYbotics +358 40 753 7374 or Outokumpu media phone +358 40 351 9840 / e-mail media(at)outokumpu.com High school senior Annabelle Tornio is looking for a college where she can explore her interests and she’s already been accepted by several public and private universities in Wisconsin and Illinois But before the Milwaukee teen can decide which university to attend Annabelle needs to know how much financial aid each institution can offer her An ongoing delay in release of federal student aid information is keeping her — and students around the country — waiting said their family is in a “weird unknown period” with some underlying anxiety “You just kind of have to talk yourself down and say it is what it is.’ You just have to wait,” Tornio said She said the waiting isn’t disrupting Annabelle’s day-to-day life but it’s preventing her from putting “the next foot forward.” The family wants to decide on a school and move on Annabelle is one of the millions of students who are waiting for financial aid offers from higher education institutions The University of Wisconsin Madison and Marquette University usually send out financial aid packages as early as January Those offers haven’t yet gone out this year The financial aid process was initially delayed due to the slow rollout of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. It came out months behind schedule with miscalculations and technical problems associate vice provost for financial aid and enrollment service at Marquette University said her office is in limbo as the errors are corrected The U.S. Department of Education announced it has processed more than 1.5 million FAFSA applications and delivered records to the majority of schools But more than 17 million students fill out the FAFSA every year.  Institutions told WPR they have far fewer files than they need Teerink’s office had received approximately 7,800 student records They typically have about 14,000 records this time of year many include errors like missing required tax information Department of Education says students and families won’t be able to correct their applications until a later date One solution the department offered to institutions was to calculate some aid packages by hand “It’s a huge task and it’s a complicated multi-step process that is potentially fraught with (human) error,” Teerink said director of the office of student financial aid at UW-Madison, said she usually trusts the records the department sends to her office Members of Faith’s team may soon start to sift through individual records and pluck the ones that have the fewest number of errors to try and craft aid offers She said the goal is to strike a balance between being accurate and being quick “A best practice is for students to have their aid offer as quickly as possible after they know that they’re admitted so they don’t have to sit and wait with anxiety and wonder whether or not they can actually afford to attend the school they really want to attend,” Faith said Teerink said while some records could be used to create aid packages now “If you’re going to send out a handful here and a handful there you’re going to generate a lot of concern and questions and phone calls from the people who aren’t in those groups saying Faith’s office is operating at maximum capacity  Some of her staff are voluntarily working late nights and weekends One colleague canceled vacation plans to work Financial aid administrators said this year’s errors could have a ripple effect; they worry FAFSAs for the 2025-26 school year could be delayed Tornio said she suspects Annabelle will be able decide on a school soon after she receives each of her financial aid packages “College is getting more and more expensive and you want to be able to say yes to where your child wants to go to school.” Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board The Tornio Manga liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal in Northern Finland built under a turnkey contract by the technology group Wärtsilä achieved another significant milestone on 27 November 2017 with the successful unloading of the first shipment of LNG arrived onboard the LNG carrier ‘Coral Energy’ a time-chartered LNG carrier operated by Skangas The cooldown process of the terminal and the LNG unloading process were completed on schedule over a period of 8 days The successful unloading marks the beginning of the commissioning phase of the project The LNG from the terminal will be used to provide clean burning energy for local and regional industries in Northern Finland and will provide bunkering for LNG fuelled ships visiting the northern Baltic Sea waters The terminal will play a notable role in promoting the economic growth of the region while also reducing the carbon footprint of the region’s industrial operations The commercial operation of the terminal will begin in summer 2018 “The arrival and unloading of the first delivery of LNG at the new terminal marks an important new step for energy usage by local industries and shipping Tornio is emerging as the regional hub in this Baltic Sea area which gives a considerable boost to the region,” says Mika Kolehmainen “We are proud to be playing a significant role in the economic development of this region in close cooperation with our customers and partners and to have reached another significant milestone in this project Our technologies and solutions are promoting the greater use of LNG as fuel in both the energy and shipping sectors each step that we take in enabling an efficient and reliable LNG infrastructure endorses our capabilities and contributes to a safer and cleaner environment,” says Alexandre Eykerman LNG Solutions at Wärtsilä Energy Solutions powered by one Wärtsilä 50DF and two Wärtsilä 20DF eco-friendly dual-fuel engines making it one of the most environmentally friendly vessels on the seas The vessel’s emissions are clearly below the prospective applicable limits required for Emission Control Areas (ECAs) The ‘Coral Energy’ has an ice-class 1A class notification enabling LNG transportation to the Nordic region also in winter conditions It is expected that more and more vessels operating in this part of the Baltic Sea will be powered by LNG fuel in order to comply with the Sulphur Emission Control Area (SECA) regulations which is also driven by Wärtsilä dual-fuel engines will be bunkered from the Tornio Manga terminal during this winter season already The next shipment of LNG is scheduled for delivery to the Tornio Manga terminal at the beginning of 2018 the terminal will receive deliveries of LNG at two-week intervals Manga LNG in briefThe Manga LNG natural gas import terminal in Röyttä is a joint venture of the industrial companies Outokumpu and SSAB Europe the energy company EPV Energy and the LNG company Skangas The purpose of the terminal is to diversify the gas and fuel markets of the Northern region by providing Northern industry energy production and maritime transport with a more environmentally friendly and inexpensive alternative was delivered onboard the LNG carrier ‘Coral Energy’ Link to video Press release 31 August 2017: Wärtsilä announces successful achievement of mechanical completion at the Tornio Manga LNG terminal Read more about Tornio Manga LNG terminal Alexandre EykermanVice President, LNG SolutionsWärtsilä Energy Solutionsalexandre.eykerman@wartsila.comTel: +358 50 3823578 Matti RautkiviDirector, Sales & MarketingWärtsilä Energy Solutionsmatti.rautkivi@wartsila.com Tel: +1 281 7076123 Wärtsilä Energy Solutions in briefWärtsilä Energy Solutions is a leading global energy system integrator offering a broad range of environmentally sound solutions Our offering includes ultra-flexible internal combustion engine based power plants energy storage & integration solutions as well as LNG terminals and distribution systems The flexible and efficient Wärtsilä solutions provide customers with superior value and enable a transition to a more sustainable and modern energy system Wärtsilä has 65 GW of installed power plant capacity in 177 countries around the world.www.smartpowergeneration.com The LNG-powered Polaris refuels at the Tornio LNG terminal in Finland The world’s first LNG powered icebreaker has fueled up for the first time in Tornio home to the Nordic countries’ largest liquefied natural gas terminal joined the fleet of Finnish icebreaker operator The vessel operates under contract with the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency which is responsible for Finland’s icebreaking services and for making sure that Finland’s harbors can be accessed throughout the year Use of LNG fuel makes the Polaris one of the most environmentally-friendly icebreakers in the world “This is the third winter in the demanding icy conditions of the northern Baltic Sea for the world’s first LNG-powered icebreaker Polaris has met our expectations with flying colors proving that it is truly a next generation icebreaker,” says Markus Karjalainen Head of the Winter Navigation Unit of FTIA The Tornio LNG terminal opened in 2018 and features LNG bunkering and a 50,000 cbm storage tank that is kept constantly at the temperature of -163 °C but it’s a joint project between Outokumpu and SSAB steel mills the leading LNG company in the Nordic countries The Tornia LNG terminal is one of two LNG bunkering terminals currently in Finland A third terminal is also planned for Hamina but it’s not due for completion until 2020 “Tornio’s new LNG terminal enables increased use of LNG when operating in the Bay of Bothnia,” Karjalainen added the northernmost suitable terminal was located in Pori which is way too far from Polaris’ operating area in the far end of the Bothnian Bay but Polaris has had to rely mainly on diesel.” all of Polaris’ operations aim at environmental friendliness,” commented Pasi Järvelin the lubricant used in the ship’s propulsion system is biodegradable which basically consists of showering water is collected to a container which is emptied during port calls even if the water has been purified.” Sign up for gCaptain’s newsletter and never miss an update and updates delivered daily straight to your inbox President Donald Trump's administration is considering softening its proposed fee on China-linked ships visiting U.S ports after a flood of negative feedback from industries that said the idea could be economically devastating By Dimitri Rhodes Nov 7 (Reuters) – Belgian oil tanker company CMB Tech says it will focus on the fast growing market in India as it reported third quarter results.. 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Subscribe to gCaptain Daily and stay informed with the latest global maritime and offshore news Stay informed with the latest maritime and offshore news For general inquiries and to contact us,please email: [email protected] To submit a story idea or contact our editors, please email: [email protected] For advertising opportunities contactEmail: [email protected]Phone: +1.805.704.2536 Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe Sweden’s and Finland‘s railways could be connected in the near future according to authorities in northern Finland the Laurila (FI) – Tornio (FI) – Haparanda (SE) railway project was launched on the Finnish-Swedish border after funding was secured The project is meant to electrify the line and carry out civil engineering works to enable cross-border passenger train services The estimated cost of the project is EUR 24 million of which the Finnish Railway Board’s is expected to cover EUR 10 million The share of the Swedish office of social security (försörjningstryggheten) is EUR 10 million and the Swedish government’s contribution is EUR 4 million Train travel is something that is more and more in demand The aim of the Laurila-Tornio-Haparanda railway project is to improve the cost-effectiveness of rail transport and the competitiveness of the industry, as well as to enable passenger train traffic between Finland and Sweden as part of the core trans-European TEN-T network in the form of joint projects of the railways. Several important international transport corridors in northern Finland and Sweden pass through the area. These corridors connect the Barents region with the Central European transport corridor and further to the Far East. The route through Sweden is one of the options for Finland’s foreign trade transport. Essential cookies enable basic functions and are necessary for the proper function of the website. Statistics cookies collect information anonymously. This information helps us to understand how our visitors use our website. but also boosts Finland's tourism sectorThe strong exchange rate of the euro has been not only tempting Finns to cross to Sweden for shopping but is also drawing more international tourists to border areas in the north Open image viewerTourism is now making big strides in southern Lapland's border areas particularly in Tornio at the top of the Gulf of Bothnia Photo shows the border between Finland and Sweden at Tornio-Haparanda 11:41Weekend traffic is normally brisk between the twin cities of Tornio on the Finnish side of the border and Haparanda Sweden has benefited most from cross-border shopping in recent years The kingdom's currency has been relatively weak against the euro which has attracted both locals looking for bargains The cheaper alcohol and tobacco products are particularly appealing and the opportunity for savings at the furniture giant Ikea also attracts customers from all over northern Finland to Haparanda Locals in border areas are also accustomed to buying groceries and fuel from their western neighbours contact manager of Tornio's Rajalla shopping centre located right on the border of Finland and Sweden the shopping centre attracted 2.1 million visitors and generated sales of 50.3 million euros It's been this high for the last few years," says Juho and points out that being along the busy main route between Finland and Sweden is a major advantage known in Finnish as "Meri-Lappi" (Sea Lapland) trails far behind Rovaniemi and the region's ski resorts Eija-Sinikka Juho says that last year number of registered overnight stays in Tornio jumped by 25 percent just across the bridge is also attracting more tourists The Cape East Spa Hotel in Haparanda says on its website that French visitors arriving on charter flights have booked the hotel to capacity until the end of March French tourists have crossed over to Tornio shop in Finland Open image viewerPark Hotel Tornio sales manager Minna Takanen believes that the southwest region of Lapland is an attractive alternative considering the tourism congestion in Rovaniemi is also pleased with the significant rise in tourist numbers the volume of the hotel's international trade increased by 50 percent over figures for January 2024 "Tornio- Haparanda is attractive to Asian visitors The start of the new year in a border region where the year changes twice is a unique experience We have already sold out we have already sold out new year's bookings up to 2028," Minna Takanen explains Takanen believes that Sea Lapland has already become a viable alternative to the rest of Lapland "We offer the same hotel and programme services which is obviously appreciated by a tourist coming from a city of a million or more inhabitants We're hoping the upward trend continues," says Takanen The Tornio Manga liquefied natural gas receiving terminal has been inaugurated in Tornio Finnish technology group Wärtsilä said that the Tornio Manga LNG terminal a joint venture between the Finnish companies Outokumpu Group Wärtsilä provided the EPC solution for the terminal This terminal is the largest such facility in the entire Nordic region with a logistics chain developed around the terminal to create a diversified fuel market benefiting both northern Finland and Sweden The terminal will supply natural gas to Outokumpu’s Tornio steel mill and LNG to local industries LNG from the terminal will also be supplied to the LNG storage facility at the SSAB Raahe steel mill It also supplies LNG as fuel to ships while truck access to the terminal enables fast and efficient deliveries of the chilled fuel it will serve the Tornio Manga LNG terminal under a 10-year maintenance agreement Ingersoll Rand Engineering Project Solutions At Ingersoll Rand’s Engineering Project Solutions we have been managing and implementing engineered to-order air packages for complex technical requirements for over 60 years We provide specialized custom compressed air and gas compressors as well as nitrogen generation packages to international EPC contractors and engineering companies across a range of […] The Tornio Manga LNG (liquefied natural gas) receiving terminal has been inaugurated in Tornio Wärtsilä was brought into the project for its long and proven expertise and experience in project execution procurement and construction) solution for the Tornio Manga LNG receiving terminal includes complete unloading This terminal is the largest such facility in the entire Nordic region An efficient logistics chain developed around the terminal creates a diversified fuel market benefiting both Northern Finland and Sweden LNG from the terminal will be supplied also to the LNG storage facility The terminal also supplies LNG as fuel to ships Truck access to the terminal facilitates fast and efficient deliveries of the LNG Wärtsilä will serve the Tornio Manga LNG terminal under a 10-year maintenance agreement This agreement ensures reliable gas send-out and maximises uptime of the LNG terminal Wärtsilä has unique experience of the entire LNG distribution chain The Tornio Manga LNG receiving terminal will play an extremely significant role in reducing the carbon footprint and emissions such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) sulphur oxides (SOx) and particulates of the region's industrial operations an important environmental milestone for the Baltic Sea area and especially for Northern Finland and Sweden ”The Tornio Manga LNG terminal is creating a long-term platform for cost-efficient environmentally more sustainable energy supply in Northern Europe The beneficiaries include industrial and mining companies shipping and road transportation companies with special value-adding capabilities in this field was a natural choice to participate in the project and a valuable partner,” said Matti Suurnäkki “This project demonstrates our know-how on gas technology and gas as fuel as well as our expertise in medium-scale LNG distribution We are proud to work together with Manga LNG Oy to deliver this terminal and enable a sustainable energy supply for an energy-intensive industrial region,” said Antti Kämi Liquefied natural gas is a low emission fuel which can be utilised by the land-based industry the shipping industry and the energy industry substantial reductions can be obtained in carbon dioxide nitrogen oxide and particulate matters emissions Caption: The Tornio Manga receiving LNG receiving terminal is the largest such facility in the entire Nordic region The biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in the Nordics was opened in Röyttä Harbour Tornio Manga LNG receiving terminal answers to the growing demand for low emission LNG and strengthens LNG’s security of supply in the Northern Nordics the deployment of the new facility will ensure shipments to Northern Finland and Sweden “Tornio’s LNG terminal is the biggest in the Nordics the only LNG terminal in Finland was in Pori – some 600 kilometres to the south The Tornio terminal is equipped with bunkering stations for LNG vessels regasification equipment for liquefied natural gas as well as a storage unit that is 50,000 m3 in volume,” Mika Kolehmainen The terminal is the result of multiple companies working together for several years through Manga LNG Wärtsilä was selected as the main contractor “Tornio terminal is a ground-breaking collaboration between several companies and its opening is a long-awaited milestone for all of us The deployment of the new LNG terminal significantly supports the emission goals of Finland as well as the entire Nordics,” Kimmo Rahkamo “The shift to cleaner fuel solutions is a worldwide trend that needs to be accelerated in every way possible we reduce the local pollutant emissions of maritime and heavy-duty traffic while keeping the industry of Northern Finland competitive,” Rahkamo added The number of vessels that use LNG as a fuel in maritime traffic is growing globally Rahkamo believes that the new terminal will attract even more operators to utilize LNG “Building distribution infrastructure will make it easier for new operators to start using LNG the same gas infrastructure can be used to shift to the use of liquefied biogas (LBG) which will further reduce emissions,” Rahkamo explained greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced by as much as 20% compared to traditional fuels LNG produces no local pollutants and with its use maritime traffic can reach the ambitious emissions goals set within and outside of the EU With the use of renewable and domestic biogas greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced by as much as 85% World’s 1st LNG Icebreaker Refueled at Tornio LNG Terminal Coral Energy Unloads 1st LNG Cargo at Tornio Manga Outokumpu invests in a pelletizing plant for biocoke in Tornio Finland to accelerate the reduction of direct emissions Outokumpu is the global leader in sustainable stainless steel and is continuously looking for ways to further lower its climate impact across the value chain Replacing fossil coke with renewable raw materials from biomass is one of the key drivers to reduce our direct emissions in our operations As part of Outokumpu’s strategy to strengthen its leadership in sustainability and secure access to high-quality raw materials Outokumpu has decided to invest in a pelletizing plant to produce biocoke(1 at its site in Tornio The investment is approximately EUR 30 million and the aim is to start production mid-2025 “Our determined actions within sustainability such as ensuring high recycled content and low-carbon energy sources have already enabled us to offer stainless steel with the lowest carbon footprint in the industry Work continues to meet our ambitious climate target to reduce emissions across our value chain by 42% by 2030 compared to the 2016 baseline Fossil coke represents 50% of our direct emissions today a concrete step to significantly reduce these emissions is to replace fossil coke with biocoke which is produced using biomass from forest and wood industry residues” General Manager for the biocoke project at Outokumpu Outokumpu has been studying the feasibility of establishing its own industrial-scale biocoke production facility and worked on a roadmap for building up the supply for biomass-based raw materials for the future It consists of a mixture of own production The first step on this journey is to invest in a facility to pelletize externally sourced biocarbon(2 into biocoke at Outokumpu’s site in Tornio Finland with an annual capacity of 25,000 tonnes This helps to reduce CO2 emissions by 82,000 tonnes which corresponds to the annual emissions of 8,000 Finnish citizens Biocoke will be subsequently used in the ferrochrome operations as a reductant to replace fossil coke biocoke represents the best-available-technology(3 to replace fossil coke in the ferrochrome production The Tornio pilot plant enables Outokumpu to further develop the process and product so that a possible scale-up later could be possible “Use of biomass-based raw materials offers exciting new possibilities to cut direct emissions We achieved great milestones earlier this year with successful production tests with biocoke which has given us the confidence to take the next step of building our own pelletizing plant,” says Huhtala Outokumpu also continues to plan for further investments to capacity for biocoke production in the future we continue to develop the concept for a biocarbon production pilot plant including how to utilize process side stream gases in the most efficient way Further investment decisions are planned to be made during 2024 provided that the financial feasibility is proven 1) Biocoke is a renewable raw material produced using biomass from forest and wood industry side streams the biomass is burnt in a pyrolysis process into biocarbon and in the second stage it can be processed/pelletized into biocoke (i.e. Biocarbon is used in stainless steel melting and biocoke in ferrochrome smelting to replace fossil coal and coke respectively 2) Outokumpu works to secure access to high quality biocarbon through direct purchases and by developing partnerships Outokumpu announced an agreement to become a shareholder in Envigas AB the first large-scale producer of biocarbon in the Nordics The investment secures a right to 50% of Envigas’ current and future production hydrogen cannot be used as a reductant in ferrochrome smelting due to required high temperatures Outokumpu is investigating other potential technologies to replace fossil coke Investors: Linda Häkkilä, Head of Investor Relation +358 40 753 7374 or Outokumpu media phone +358 40 351 9840 The technology group Wärtsilä has successfully reached an important milestone in the engineering procurement and construction (EPC) contract of the Tornio Manga LNG terminal in Northern Finland The mechanical completion of the terminal was achieved on 18 August 2017 Wärtsilä's turnkey solution for the terminal includes complete ship unloading regasification and natural gas send-out facilities The storage tank with a volume of 50,000 m3 and the new terminal will be the largest LNG receiving terminal in the Nordic region The EPC delivery is backed by a 10-year maintenance contract for Wärtsilä to provide services related to the needs of the terminal “We managed to successfully build our first LNG terminal in very harsh weather conditions and on time This once again demonstrates Wärtsilä’s full EPC capabilities as well as our unique know-how in gas processing,” says Alexandre Eykerman “We are very satisfied with achieving this significant project milestone in original time schedule The basis for successful project performance has been professional safety management and fluent co-operation between the parties We are now looking forward to moving towards commissioning and start-up phase in order to start LNG deliveries to our customers in the spring of 2018,“ adds Mika Kolehmainen the Tornio Manga LNG terminal will supply natural gas to a local stainless steel mill and LNG to local industries and other consumers in the region The terminal will play a significant role in enabling growth and reducing the carbon footprint of the region's industrial operations The next major step of the project is expected to take place in November 2017 when the first shipment of LNG is scheduled for arrival Link to photoCaption: When in commercial operation after spring 2018 the Tornio Manga LNG terminal in Finland will supply gas to a local stainless steel mill and LNG to other users in the Nordic region Video: Wärtsilä constructing the Nordic region’s largest LNG terminal   Read more about Tornio Manga LNG terminal  Press release 10 January 2014: Wärtsilä signs a contract to supply LNG terminal to Tornio in Finland Alexandre EykermanVice President, LNG SolutionsWärtsilä Energy SolutionsTel: +50 31 382 3578alexandre.eykerman@wartsila.com Sami MyllyviitaDirector, PM Services, LNG SolutionsWärtsilä Energy SolutionsTel: +358 40 520 3367sami.myllyviita@wartsila.com Tornio Manga LNG Terminal is a liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving facility currently under construction at Röyttä port It is set to become the biggest receiving terminal in the Nordic region upon its scheduled completion in April 2018 The terminal is being developed by a joint venture (JV) between Outokumpu Group Skangass and EPV Energy known as Manga LNG Tornio Manga LNG Terminal will primarily provide natural gas to the Outokumpu Tornio steel mill LNG from the site is also expected be used by industries and gas consumers located in northern Finland and northern Sweden There are plans for the facility to supply LNG to ships operating in the Bay of Bothnia in future Environmental impact assessments were required prior to the construction of the terminal The final investment decision for the project was made in December 2014 The project will create approximately 260 full-time employment opportunities The LNG terminal will include an LNG tank with a storage capacity of 50,000m³ The tank will contain 9% of nickel steel in the inner tank and casted concrete on the outer tank It is designed to comply with European standards Tornio Manga terminal will include LNG reception as well as being installed with LNG regasification equipment A pipeline system for the distribution of LNG to Röyttä industrial area and a loading terminal for LNG road tankers The facility will have a maximum send-out rate of 40t/h with 6.0barg outlet gas pressure It will integrate three LNG in-tank pumps with a transfer capacity of 175m³/h each and three boil off gas (BOG) compressors with a handling capacity of 3,000kg/h each LNG will be transported by road and / or rail from Tornio to customer terminals and consumption points located in northern Finland and Sweden and is to be built in compliance with Sulphur Emissions Control Areas (SECA) regulations Earth-moving works were completed and the bottom slab was poured for the project in August 2015 The construction’s cornerstone was laid at the Port of Röyttä in September 2015 Construction of fire pumps and the jetty control building as well as vapour barrier welding and the bottom insulation work on the LNG storage tank were completed in late-2016 Construction works for inner-tank spiral welding began around this time procurement and construction (EPC) turnkey contract in December 2014 which outlined that the company would deliver the Tornio Manga LNG import terminal and provide maintenance services for a ten-year period Midroc Rodoverken was awarded a contract to design supply and install the LNG tank in March 2015 Norconsult was subcontracted by Midroc Rodoverken to provide design for the full containment LNG tank Citec was contracted by Wärtsilä to perform the detailed engineering services for layout fire-fighting systems and terminal electrification The terminal project is expected to involve an estimated investment of €100m ($160m) Outokumpu invested €30m ($37.34m) into the project in order to receive LNG from the terminal for use in its Tornio plant The Finnish Ministry of Employment and the Economy contributed €33.2m ($41.32m) as financing towards the construction of the project while project partner SSAB also contributed €7m ($8.6m) Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights View all newsletters from across the GlobalData Media network Arctia’s LNG-fueled icebreaker Polaris completed the first LNG bunkering operation at the Tornio LNG facility The vessel bunkered LNG directly from the facility located in a port that is surrounded by ice at least four months a year Arctia said in its brief statement on social media Built in 2016 by Arctech Helsinki Shipyard Polaris is the most powerful icebreaker ever to fly the Finnish flag and the first icebreaker in the world to feature dual-fuel engines capable of using both low-sulfur marine diesel oil and liquefied natural gas Polaris was initially ordered by the Finnish Transport Agency but the ownership was transferred to the state-owned icebreaker operator Arctia after delivery Equipped with three Azipod propulsion units and Wärtsilä main engines the Polaris has an icebreaking capacity of 1.8 m at a speed of 3.5 kt Tokmanni     Press release     3 October 2022 at 4:15 p.m The outdoor equipment and clothing department – including Vaeltaja one of Tokmanni’s private labels – plays a prominent role in the Tokmanni store in Tornio equipment and other useful products with an excellent price-to-quality ratio for hiking and outdoor recreation The refurbished Tokmanni store in Tornio will be celebrated on Thursday 6 October 2022 at 8 am. At the opening celebrations, there will be special offers and surprise buckets filled with product gifts The Tornio store is the world’s largest Tokmanni store and its product assortment is now incredibly extensive New features include special departments designed for the megastore The Tokmanni store in Tornio has a floor area of around 10,000 square metres It combines the variety discount retailer’s newest store concept which emphasises quick and easy shopping experiences with an exceptionally extensive product offering and inspiring special departments designed for the megastore The result is an incredible Tokmanni store in terms of both product assortment and appearance “The Tokmanni store in Tornio now has an assortment of around 55,000 products related to beauty, health and wellbeing, home decoration, cleaning, clothing, leisure, home electronics and home renovation, as well as seasonal products and food products,” says Timo Heimo “We have created an entirely new kind of department for health and wellbeing products Its selection also includes self-care products typically sold at pharmacies The clothing department differs markedly from the clothing departments at other Tokmanni stores in terms of furniture and interior decoration and from the familiar Tokmanni brand image.” The departments for health and wellbeing products (shown in this picture) and clothing in the Tokmanni store in Tornio differ from the standard appearance of Tokmanni stores The two-storey store now also offers a wider assortment of brands and their designated departments In addition, the Tornio store has a shop-in-shop department for Miny wellbeing and interior decoration products and other surprising and interesting things to buy “We are very pleased with the Tokmanni store in Tornio and the new store concept that can be experienced there We believe that the refurbished store will attract customers even more widely than before in Tornio The Tokmanni store in Tornio has a wide selection of ESSVE screws suitable for professional use The garden department in connection with the Tokmanni store in Tornio continues to sell a wide selection of yard and garden products Customer service in the Tornio store is provided by a team of around 40 retail professionals under the supervision of Store Manager Virve Huhta The Tokmanni store in Tornio combines the variety discount retailer’s newest store concept which emphasises easy and pleasant shopping experiences with special departments designed for the megastore In addition to offering the largest assortment of products typically sold at Tokmanni stores, the Tornio store is one of Tokmanni’s 18 full-range grocery stores. Its selection includes around 8,000 food products, from fruit and vegetables to bread and fresh fish. The grocery store also offers stock lots of various products and food products sold under the Priima brand “We also take the wishes of local customers into account, and the store will continue to feature its popular fresh fish counter, as well as local products from the Tornion Panimo brewery and the Kinnusen Mylly flour milling company,” Heimo says The Tokmanni store in Tornio is one of Tokmanni’s 18 full-range grocery stores Its assortments include more than 8,000 food products from fruit and vegetables to bread and fresh fish Tokmanni also pays considerable attention to sustainability in its stores the Tornio store has a solar power plant on its roof the solar power plant consists of 700 solar panels and generates around 145 MWh of electricity per year for the store The yearly production corresponds to the annual electricity consumption of around 72 small apartments (around 2,000 kWh per year) The store property’s building services are remotely controlled through an automated system, so that settings affecting energy consumption can be monitored around the clock and adjusted from a control room as needed. The lighting in the Tokmanni store in Tornio relies on energy-efficient LED technology. The car park has a charging point for electric and hybrid cars for customers The refrigeration equipment in the food department was replaced with new The Tornio store also has a convenient recycling point for small waste electrical and electronic equipment and used batteries Waste is prevented by optimising product order volumes and deliveries Stores in the Tokmanni chain also sell soon-to-expire food products at half-price starting two hours before the stores’ closing time surprise buckets and extensive opening hours Tokmanni will celebrate the opening of its refurbished store in Tornio with special offers running from Thursday 6 October until Sunday 9 October 2022 The store will also give away Tokmanni’s famous surprise buckets filled with various product gifts Free buckets will be offered to the first 1,000 customers on the day of the opening Tokmanni gift cards (EUR 100) have been hidden in two of the buckets The Tokmanni store in Tornio serves its customers in a retail park along the E8 highway at Teollisuuskatu 14 The store will be open from 8 am to 9 pm on weekdays from 8 am to 8 pm on Saturdays and from 9 am to 7 pm on Sundays The store has been open throughout the remodelling project Tokmanni’s store chain is growing and modernising Tokmanni aims to expand its store network to more than 220 stores in Finland The variety discount retailer currently has 198 Tokmanni stores around Finland Tokmanni has also entered into agreements on opening new stores in Kontula in Helsinki the Keljo district of Jyväskylä and Söderkulla in Sipoo Tokmanni has entered into agreements on expanding its stores in the Koskikeskus shopping centre in Tampere and Tammisto in Vantaa a leading global supplier of power plant and ship power solutions and services has signed a turnkey contract to supply a liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal to be built in Tornio The contract is conditional on receipt of investment support and Manga LNG Oy’s contracts with other parties The main user of the natural gas from the terminal will be the Outokumpu Tornio steel mill and other potential gas consumers in the region will also be served The terminal may also eventually supply LNG to ships such as the new icebreaker planned to operate in the Tornio and Bay of Bothnia region “The Tornio Manga LNG terminal is a long-term infrastructure investment programme The beneficiaries include shipping and road transportation companies as well as other industrial and mining companies in northern Europe We appreciate Wärtsilä’s participation as a valuable partner in this project with special value-adding capabilities in this field,” says Pekka Erkkilä “This is a large and extremely important project and we see the selection of Wärtsilä Power Plants to engineer and construct the new LNG receiving terminal as an acknowledgement of our expertise and experience in engineering procurement and construction (EPC) project execution The terminal will enable this clean and competitively priced fuel to be available for industrial consumers in the Bay of Bothnia region and will further enhance the growing acceptance of LNG as a marine fuel,” says Vesa Riihimäki Wärtsilä is extending its LNG value chain strategy to cover LNG terminal solutions Wärtsilä is recognised for its market leading gas engine technology as well as for its broad offering in gas handling systems With the Tornio Manga LNG receiving terminal Wärtsilä is for the first time combining its strong Power Plants EPC capability with its industry leading LNG gas handling technology to provide a turnkey LNG terminal solution As LNG continues to replace oil and other fuels worldwide Wärtsilä sees strong global market potential for medium-scale LNG distribution The combination of market-leading LNG technology and gas-fired marine propulsion and power plants enables Wärtsilä to take a leading role in end-to-end LNG systems Read more about the Manga LNG terminal Read more about CMD 2013 Lunde - Wärtsilä in the LNG value chain Vesa RiihimäkiPresident, Power Plants & Executive Vice President, Wärtsilä CorporationTel: +358 10 709 2964 vesa.riihimaki@wartsila.com   Atte PalomäkiExecutive Vice President, Communications & BrandingWärtsilä CorporationTel: +358 40 547 6390atte.palomaki@wartsila.com the Baltic Sea is welcoming a new wave of investment in the infrastructure needed to fuel gas-powered ships      The delivery of the 18,000 m3 coastal LNG carrier Coral EnergICE by Neptun Werft’s Rostock yard to Anthony Veder on 25 January 2018 has opened up a new phase in Baltic LNG shipping.  The first such vessel to be built to the ice-class 1A Super standard the newbuilding is the largest of the growing fleet of coastal LNGCs active in the region and is able to serve all the Baltic Sea LNG terminals including those in ports that are ice-bound throughout the winter months Coral EnergICE has been taken on long-term charter by Skangas the LNG terminal-operating affiliate of Finland’s Gasum Skangas will use the vessel to deliver LNG to its two Finnish receiving terminals – Pori on the south coast and the Manga facility in Tornio the northernmost port in the Bay of Bothnia commenced commercial operations in September 2016 while the Manga facility is currently going through the commissioning process The largest LNG receiving facility in the Nordic region and due to be fully operational by mid-2018 The Manga LNG terminal is able to supply LNG bunkers in addition to regasifying LNG and loading LNG road tankers One of the ships it is fuelling is Arctia Icebreaking Oy’s Polaris a dual-fuel icebreaker whose two LNG bunker tanks provide 800 m3 of capacity and 10 days of autonomous operation on gas in typical winter conditions.  Coral EnergICE represents a strengthening of the Baltic shipping links between Skangas and Anthony Veder The gas company already has two of Veder’s coastal LNG carriers – the 6,500 m3 Coral Anthelia and the 15,600 m3 Coral Energy – on charter as well as the 5,800 m3 LNG bunker vessel Coralius that Veder owns jointly with Sirius Shipping.  These ships are frequent visitors to the other Skangas LNG terminals in the Nordic region namely the Risavika and Øra facilities in Norway and Lysekil in Sweden the Risavika plant near Stavanger is a production facility able to liquefy up to 300,000 tonnes per annum of LNG.  There are also two Baltic Sea baseload LNG import terminals in operation Polskie LNG’s shore terminal in the Polish port of Świnoujście and the 170,000 m3 floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) Independence operated by Höegh LNG in the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda Lithuania and Poland became LNG import nations in December 2014 and June 2016 one cargo a month last year but that delivery rate is set to double in 2018 The terminal operator has also embarked on a project to increase the LNG regasification capacity of the facility by 50% to 5.6 million tonnes per annum (mta) by 2021 The expansion programme includes the development of LNG bunkering infrastructure; facilities to enable loading discharge and transhipment operations involving small and medium-scale LNG tankers; and rail loading points to facilitate the dispatch of cryogenic ISO tank containers Klaipedos Nafta (KN) has chartered the regas vessel Independence until 2024 at which point it has an option to buy the FSRU The 2.2 mta unit is not only assisting Lithuania reduce its dependence on Russian pipeline gas but also providing a springboard for the development of small-scale LNG infrastructure in the region In September 2017 KN began commissioning its new shoreside terminal which features five 1,000 m3 cylindrical pressure vessel storage tanks Like most Baltic Sea LNG receiving facilities the KN installation is capable of reloading cargoes.  Start-up operations at the site kicked off with the ship-to-ship (STS) transfer of 1,000 m3 of LNG from Independence to Shell’s new 6,500 m3 LNG bunker vessel Cardissa Cardissa then moved to KN’s reloading station to discharge her cargo to the first two tanks at the installation ready to receive LNG The liquefied gas was then pumped into road tankers at the facility’s loading bays for onward distribution The designation of the Baltic and North Seas as IMO sulphur emission control areas in 2006 and 2007 supported the emergence of northern Europe and Scandinavia as the birthplace of LNG bunkering   Although the concept is now spreading globally the Baltic and North Seas still play host to over 80% of the world’s LNG bunkering activity and remain the focus for most new investments in fuelling infrastructure for LNG-powered ships operated by AGA and the second of Sweden’s two LNG receiving terminals has been one of the world’s leading providers of LNG bunkers since Viking Line’s dual-fuel passenger/car ferry Viking Grace entered service in 2013 A delivery system based on using road tankers and a 180 m3 cross-harbour bunker vessel ensures that the 57,000 gt Viking Grace is fuelled with Nynäshamn LNG at its Stockholm berth virtually every day Viking Grace provides a daily service between Stockholm and the Finnish port of Turku and burns around 23,000 tonnes of LNG per annum In October 2017 Viking Line contracted a second LNG-fuelled ferry for the Stockholm-Turku link a vessel of 63,000 gt that will commence operations in early 2021 The AGA terminal is also set to provide the LNG fuel for a pair of dual-fuel ferry newbuildings that Rederi AB Gotland will put into domestic service on the route between Nynäshamn and the island of Gotland has won the contract to supply the bunkers and both 32,000 gt ferries To support its nascent Baltic LNG bunkering service in co-operation with KN in a venture called Blue LNG will charter a 7,500 m3 LNG bunker vessel that Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM) and Babcock International are having built at the Hyundai Mipo yard in Korea which is due for completion in September 2018 will use the KN reloading terminal in Klaipeda as its home base The Baltic Sea projects outlined above mark the start of the blossoming relationship that the region’s gas and electric utilities shipping companies and industrial enterprises are developing with LNG Plans for the construction of further LNG bunkering and distribution terminals in Lubeck Liepaja and Muuga are being progressed.  Two additional baseload receiving terminal schemes are also under review – an FSRU for the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and a new shore terminal in Brunsbüttel to serve northern Germany   Gazprom is due to take delivery of its 170,000 m3 FSRU Marshal Vasilevskiy from Hyundai Heavy Industries in June 2018 and inaugural employment in Kaliningrad is an option under review.  Market demand for the Brunsbüttel facility which would be Germany’s first LNG import terminal it aims to begin receiving cargoes in late 2022 Brunsbüttel is connected to the Baltic via the Kiel Canal a handy link for bunker vessels and gas-powered ships wishing to make use of this new LNG source By 2021-12-09T05:00:00+00:00 FINLAND: Funding has been agreed for the electrification of the 24 km line from the junction at Laurila near Kemi to Tornio and across the border to Haparanda in Sweden bridge and level crossing works are expected to cost €24m with €10m coming from Finnish transport infrastructure agency Väylävirasto and €10m from the National Emergency Supply Agency Trafikverket will fund the work on the short section within Sweden EU support from the Connecting Europe Facility has been provided for the design work Planning and approval processes are expected to be completed by mid-2022 with work to start by the end of the year for completion in 2024 Electrification is intended to make operations more cost effective provide a passenger transport option and form part of the trans-European TEN-T network Swedish passenger services to Haparanda were reinstated in April 2020 after a gap of 29 years with Vy Tåg’s Norrtåg subsidiary operating trains from Luleå and Umeå The bridge over the River Tornio which forms the border is currently only used for freight traffic It carries interlaced 1 435 and 1 524 mm gauge tracks and the current plans envisage Finnish broad gauge trains running through to Haparanda station the functioning of maritime transport is critical in all situations’ said Outi Nietola of the National Emergency Supply Agency ‘In the event of serious disruptions and exceptional circumstances the land route through Sweden may partially replace maritime traffic.’ SWEDEN: National infrastructure manager Trafikverket has appointed Sweco to assist with capacity expansion on the busy East Coast trunk line between Stockholm and Uppsala The region to the north of the capital has been growing rapidly and in 2017 the government commissioned Trafikverket to undertake a .. SWEDEN: The Norrtåg transport authority owned by four regions in the north of Sweden has selected VR Sverige as preferred bidder for the next contract to operate local passenger train services EUROPE: The European Commission has brought forward the awarding of EU grants to co-fund projects to support military mobility explaining that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has increased the urgency of making Europe’s transport infrastructure fit for dual civilian and defence use Site powered by Webvision Cloud Green hydrogen producer Norwegian Hydrogen has selected Tornio as one of the company’s locations for the production of green hydrogen in Finland A 20-hectare area in the Arctic North industrial area has already been reserved noting that the growing demand for hydrogen in industry and transportation offers a unique opportunity to invest in the region Norwegian Hydrogen established its wholly-owned subsidiary Vireon as the provider of hydrogen refuelling for heavy-duty transport in the Nordic region the subsidiary is actively engaged in developing and constructing hydrogen fueling infrastructure in the area Chief Commercial Officer of Norwegian Hydrogen commented: “Our venture in Finland is very important for Norwegian Hydrogen marking our commitment to contribute to the development of a sustainable society and economic vitality in the entire Nordic region.” Project Director of Norwegian Hydrogen Finland added: “Tornio emerged as a natural choice coupled with its transport and energy infrastructure presents an optimal setting for hydrogen production.” said: “Norwegian Hydrogen’s plan summarizes very well the long-term work done in the development of Arctio North and highlights the region’s potential for the hydrogen economy We are very pleased that Tornio has been chosen as a key part of Norwegian Hydrogen’s plan towards a sustainable future.” in collaboration with a consortium of ten partners also launched a new project that aims to develop an integrated green hydrogen value chain at the Port of Hirtshals in Denmark This project includes the construction of a 5 MW electrolyzer a large-scale refuelling station for heavy-duty transport and distribution networks for hydrogen It is expected to deliver at least 500 tonnes of green hydrogen annually the company launched the development of a large-scale production plant for green hydrogen at Ørskog in Ålesund municipality This hydrogen plant is expected to have a capacity of 270 MW when it is fully developed with a production capacity of 40,000 tonnes of green hydrogen annually To note, Norwegian Hydrogen is supported by a group of industrial owners, including Mitsui, & Co., Fortescue Hofseth International and Tafjord Kraftproduksjon The Pioneers of Offshore Engineering GustoMSC part of NOV’s Marine and Construction business is recognized for providing advanced design & engineering consultancy for mobile offshore units and reliable equipment and technical knowledge into realistic & innovative ideas The performance of new and existing jack-ups Low resolution Medium resolution Original resolution There was rejoice in the new terminal in Röyttä Harbor as tanker «Coral Energy» this weekend arrived with about 15 thousand cubic meters of liquified natural gas on board It is the first shipment of LNG to the terminal which soon will be the biggest of its kind in the whole Nordic region «We’re strengthening Finland’s energy independence and our position as a leading LNG player in the Nordic countries,» says Skangas CEO Kimmo Rahkamo The Manga LNG natural gas import terminal is a joint venture of the industrial companies Outokumpu and SSAB Europe Once completed in summer 2018, it will be the largest LNG terminal in the Nordic countries and the second LNG terminal in Finland, a press release informs The facility will help diversify the regional gas and fuel market and serve the entire Bay of Bothnia region including industrial and mining companies and the regional marine and heavy road transport sector Also Northern Sweden and Northern Norway will benefit Commercial deliveries to customers such as Outokumpu Tornio Works EPV Energy and SSAB Raahe is to begin in summer 2018 The LNG delivered by the «Coral Energy» has its origin in the Barents Sea The ship in late October picked up the natural gas at Statoil’s Melkøya LNG plant in Hammerfest the Norwegian town on the Barents Sea coast It was Skangas’ first small-scale LNG loading Melkøya. The operation was conducted at the large-scale terminal jetty normally used bigger-size LNG vessels, gas company Gasum informs The «Coral Energy» is a small to medium-scale LNG carrier with a capacity of 15 600 m3 Low resolution Medium resolution Original resolution Funding will be targeted at development projects to create new jobs in the region as well as investments in small and medium-sized companies The government has authorised the Northern Ostrobothnia Centre for Economic Development Transport and the Environment (ELY) to grant 4.2 million euros in business support to deal with sudden economic upheaval in the Kemi-Tornio region of northwestern Finland is intended to soften the blow of the closure of Stora Enso’s Veitsiluoto paper mill and sheeting plant in Kemi Billed as the northernmost paper mill in the world it is among the region’s biggest employers The first sawmill on the island site opened in 1922 the Finnish-Swedish forest products giant said it would close down pulp and paper production at its Veitsiluoto site and the sheeting plant are to be closed permanently during the third quarter of this year Last week Stora Enso confirmed that 550 people would lose their jobs as a result of the Veitsiluoto shutdown Funding will be targeted in particular at small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) investment and development projects aimed at generating new jobs in the region Since the announcement of the plant’s closure in April various measures have been launched to support workers and livelihoods amid the sudden restructuring The total funding for the Kemi-Tornio region will be announced next Tuesday when the government is to decide on more regional development money for the area “The aim of the additional funding granted by the government is to create new business and jobs in the region as well as to improve capabilities related to digitalisation and the utilisation of technology,” Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä (Cen) said in a press release the Ministry of Employment and the Economy granted the Lapland ELY Centre 2.3 million euros to manage the employment situation in Kemi-Tornio According to Minister of Employment Tuula Haatainen (SDP) additional resources will be considered if necessary Canada: Soaring price of lumber puts squeeze on builders in Yukon, Canada Finland: The world could transition entirely to cheap, safe renewable energy before 2050: Finnish study Norway:  Norwegian oil company Aker BP to drill along border with Russia Russia: First plane lands in Novatek’s new airport in Arctic Russia Sweden: Sweden will need twice as much electricity United States: Trump accuses Murkowski of killing ANWR; ‘I will be there to campaign against her!’ he vows For more news from Finland visit Yle News and website in this browser for the next time I comment Low resolution Medium resolution Original resolution Low resolution Medium resolution Original resolution Tokmanni     Press release     29 November at 6:45 p.m Kittilä and Leppävirta will have their opening celebrations this week the store known as a TEX chain store in Kemi will have its opening celebrations next year With an area of around 10,000 square metres the Tornio store is the largest Tokmanni store in Finland Finland’s largest variety discount retailer is celebrating three new Tokmanni stores this week by means of special offers and surprise buckets filled with product gifts Tokmanni will open its largest store in Tornio and its northernmost store in Kittilä on Friday 3 December 2021 at 8 am a new Tokmanni store will be opened in Leppävirta in the heart of the Savo region on 2 December 2021 at 8 am The former TEX store in Kemi will be renamed Tokmanni this week but it will have its opening celebrations next year the Tornio and Kemi stores are also full-range grocery stores whose selections include products requested by local customers The Tokmanni store in Tornio and the Tokmanni store in Kemi Tokmanni acquired the business operations of the Tornio and Kemi stores last summer these stores will now serve their customers under the Tokmanni brand The total area of the Tokmanni store in Tornio is around 10,000 square metres which is considerably larger than that of any other Tokmanni store The Tornio store offers a very extensive and diverse selection of products related to beauty the garden department in connection with the store sells a wide selection of yard and garden products Its completely refurbished grocery department now offers around 8,000 food products Other additions to its selection include various limited stock items and food products under Priima Tokmanni also takes local customers’ wishes into account and the Tornio store will continue to feature its popular fresh fish counter as well as local products from the Tornion Panimo brewery and the Kinnusen Mylly flour milling company customers are served by around 35 Tokmanni employees under the supervision of Store Manager Virve Huhta from 8 am to 9 pm on weekdays from 8 am to 8 pm on Saturdays and from 9 am to 7 pm on Sundays at Teollisuuskatu 14 “The exceptionally large size of our Tornio store enables us to present Tokmanni’s all-time largest product selection We have refurbished some parts of our store in connection with our integration into the Tokmanni brand In accordance with our customers’ wishes we will continue to focus strongly on our grocery department which is now more modern and attractive than before and has a more diverse and extensive selection,” says Timo Heimo Tokmanni will further update the product selections and store concept of its Tornio store next year A refurbishment project is also being planned for the Tokmanni store in Kemi which has a total area of around 6,000 square metres at Kiveliönkatu 28 This former TEX store now serves its customers under the Tokmanni brand but it will have its opening celebrations next year after the refurbishment project will be present and available for interviews at the Tornio store on its opening day The Tokmanni store in Kittilä and the TEX chain stores in Tornio and Kemi which will be converted into Tokmanni stores will bring the variety discount retailer closer to customers and their daily lives in northern Finland the new Tokmanni store in Leppävirta will offer a considerably wider selection than its predecessor Unlike the Kittilä and Leppävirta stores The picture above is from Tokmanni in Mäntsälä where the food department of the store was renovated last spring The northernmost Tokmanni is in Kittilä The Kittilä store has overtaken the Sodankylä store as the northernmost Tokmanni store The Kittilä store serves customers in brand new facilities in the immediate vicinity of the junction between main roads 79 and 80 around three kilometres from the centre of Kittilä and from Kittilä Airport It is also close to two popular ski and tourist resorts: around 15 kilometres from Levi and around 30 kilometres from Ylläs With a total area of around 3,500 square metres the new Tokmanni store is designed to serve local residents The Tokmanni store in Kittilä offers a wide range of products in various product categories its selection of food products is limited to beverages and nonperishable foods The modern and pleasant store has been designed in line with Tokmanni’s newest store concept There are also well-defined departments for different products Customers are served by around 15 retail professionals under the supervision of Store Manager Viivi Parikka on weekdays from 8 am to 8 pm on Saturdays from 8 am to 6 pm and on Sundays from 11 am to 6 pm The address of the store is Aakenuksentie 30 “Our new store in Kittilä brings Tokmanni’s diverse offering closer to people living in the northernmost parts of Finland as well as to the Levi and Ylläs ski and tourist resorts which contributes to ensuring a pleasant shopping experience,” Heimo says Mayor Antti Jämsen will bring greetings from the municipality of Kittilä to the opening ceremony of the Kittilä store on the morning of Friday 3 December 2021 Tokmanni will be represented at the event by CEO Mika Rautiainen and Regional Manager Toni Kauttio Tokmanni's latest store concept especially emphasises easy and pleasant shopping The Tokmanni stores in this concept feature informative signage and well-defined departments for different products The new Tokmanni store in Leppävirta in the heart of the Savo region offers a wider product selection than its predecessor The store is located in the centre of the municipality at Leppävirrantie 16 The new store replaces the old Tokmanni store in Leppävirta which will be closed down at the end of its opening hours on 1 December With a total area of around 2,700 square metres the new store is almost four times larger than its predecessor (700 square metres) in the same manner as the numerous Tokmanni stores of the same size The garden department in connection with the store is also a new addition in Leppävirta the Leppävirta store is located in a brand new building and has been designed in line with Tokmanni’s newest store concept The Tokmanni store in Leppävirta is open on weekdays from 8 am to 8 pm The store is run by Store Manager Jarkko Kauppinen with a team of around ten employees we are now able to offer a delightfully comprehensive selection of products and services for the first time in Leppävirta will be very well received among our customers,” says Heimo Tokmanni will be represented at the opening ceremony by Timo Heimo Tokmanni offers a comprehensive product range and employs a large number of retail professionals the store in Tornio employs about 35 people the store in Kittilä about 15 people and the store in Leppävirta about ten people Kittilä and Leppävirta have energy-efficient LED lighting The Kittilä and Leppävirta stores also have a charging point for electric and hybrid cars similarly to around 50 other Tokmanni stores the Tornio and Leppävirta stores have solar power plants on the roofs The annual electricity production in Tornio corresponds to the annual electricity consumption of around 72 small apartments and that in Leppävirta to the annual electricity consumption of around 48 small apartments (around 2,000 kWh per year) The buildings are connected to remote monitoring through automation meaning that their HVACE settings can be monitored 24 hours a day and adjusted from the control room as necessary “We are preventing waste by optimising product order volumes and deliveries customers can buy soon-to-expire food products at half price In our full-range grocery department in Tornio we have also replaced the refrigeration equipment with new energy-efficient models,” says Heimo The Tokmanni stores in Kittilä and Leppävirta have recycling points for small waste electrical and electronic equipment where customers can bring small electrical appliances – such as broken coffee machines drills and headphones – to be recycled All Tokmanni stores also serve as collection points for purchases made in the Tokmanni online store Plenty of special offers and surprise buckets filled with product gifts Tokmanni’s store network will continue to grow Tokmanni aims to expand its store network to more than 220 stores in Finland. With the stores being opened this week, Tokmanni now has 196 stores around Finland. Open image viewerSome locals in Ylitornio turned to tow trucks to rescue their cars from the flood waters Image: Risto Koskinen / YleYle News22.5.2023 10:14Numerous roads in and around the towns of Tornio and Ylitornio were still cut off by flood waters on Monday morning and the water level is expected to remain at peak readings for another couple of days While flood waters have begun receding in the upper reaches of the Tornio River valley more southerly areas continue to be inundated by waters that rose over the weekend According to the Finnish Environment Institute the flooding in the Tornio and Muonio river valleys in the west of Finnish Lapland is the most severe in 55 years The flood water level in Tornio was reported to be at the same reading during the early morning hours of Monday there are currently a dozen roads blocked in the region Flood waters have cut off highway VT 21 at Ylitornio and traffic is being directed to a detour the Lapland Rescue Services says that it has had no reports of major damage or loss of life Would you like a roundup of the week's top stories in your inbox every Thursday? Then sign up to receive our weekly email. Open image viewerBridge between Haparanda and Tornio Image: Antti Ullakko / YleYle News29.3.2021 13:23There is something that marks Finland and Sweden out as unusual in Europe: They are neighbouring countries that do not have a working passenger train connection if the two nations decide to finance works including track electrification and the renewal of a railway bridge across the Tornio river One big step in the process will take place on 1 April when the station in the Swedish border town of Haparanda reopens for passenger trains after a 29-year break The reopened station will offer connections to long-distance trains to the south it is thought that restoring the train link between Finland and Sweden could open up new opportunities for tourism the popularity of international train travel was growing "We have heard from tour operators in central Europe that there are customers who would be interested in travelling here overland," says Nina Forsell executive director of the Finnish Lapland Tourist Board The Finnish government decided to electrify a 20 kilometre stretch of track between Laurila In July 2020 the government received a 1.6m euro grant from the European Union to develop the project The city of Tornio has expressed the hope that the area would receive a commuter train link to Oulu connecting there to long-distance trains in the same way that travellers on the Swedish side will soon be able to do "This is a basic requirement for connectivity in the region," says Sampo Kangastalo development director for the city of Tornio people have to travel to get to educational institutions and rail transport is a very ecological way of doing this," he adds Border residents: "We just have to live with" tighter restrictionsPublished 20212021Sources: Yle the new Dudesons indoor activity park had over 12,000 visitors in its first month The company is very pleased with the turnout especially since a lot of people would have headed to beach destinations in sunny July weather nearly half of visitors came from outside of Finland Customers have been happy with the services of the Pirttihirmu Restaurant which opened at the same time with the park "We expect the Park to become a great additional destination for people visiting other local attractions such as the Ikea store at Haparanda which is only a couple of kilometres down the road or the Snow Castle and the Sampo icebreaker in neighbouring Kemi We also have great expectations for our cooperation with the Pirttihirmu Restaurant and Tornio Brewery which is going to open in the same premises we are collaborating with the city of Rovaniemi as well as Seinäjoki in South Ostrobothnia which is home to the second Dudesons Activity Park," says managing director Jani Karvonen Activities for all ages in year-round comfort     Dudesons Activity Park TornioHaparanda is a 4,500 m2 indoor activity park for people of all ages all times of the year The Park is located at Elämystehdas Lappari in the old premises of the Lapin Kulta brewery What sets Dudesons Activity Park apart from other theme parks is the fact that the rides are a physically active experience the Park has T-shirt weather all year round this next-generation recreational facility offers activities for all ages from toddlers to grandparents The Park is also a popular destination for workplace away days and other group activities The Tornio Park has the largest trampoline facility in the Cap of the North and a high-standard skatepark with a pool Other attractions include a large foam pool Local food and Tornio Brewery products in a riverside location  The 300-capacity Pirttihirmu restaurant and cafe serves local food at Elämystehdas Lappari by river Torniojoki The restaurant offers delicious burger meals and other fast food for park visitors and Lappari customers Pirttihirmu now has a lunch buffet on weekdays between 10:30 am and 2:00 pm and a high-quality menu is served every day from 2:00 pm-9:00 pm A selection of drinks from Tornio Brewery is already available at the restaurant the restaurant will host beer tasting events with food as well as tours of Tornio Brewery Various bus tours are expected to visit Elämystehdas Lappari in the coming months and years and tailor-made programmes will be available for groups at the Activity Park restaurant and brewery.       Pirttihirmu suppliers include its own local food producers Ilmajoen Makkaramestarit Oy which creates delicious meat products using ingredients from local suppliers in Lapland and South Ostrobothnia The restaurant offers a steakhouse-style menu which also features fish dishes and other delicious alternatives for adults and children alike The adjacent Pirttihirmu Cafe is perfect for a quick bite The restaurant is open to all (no Park tickets needed) Built in the former premises of Lapin Kulta brewery Elämystehdas Lappari comprises the Dudesons Activity Park Facilities for Tornio Brewery and a large performance arena will be completed during Phase 1 by the end of the year Future plans for the former industrial site include three apartment blocks and additional retail premises.       Dudesons Activity Park and Pirttihirmu Restaurant Elämystehdas Lappari/Arctic Property Oy A cross-border rail link between Finland and Sweden is taking shape For long-distance travel in northern Europe Once around the Baltic Sea or going by train to Lapland from Central Europe will then be possible the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency announced that work on the eagerly awaited railway line at the level of the border towns of Tornio (Finland) / Haparanda (Sweden) will begin as soon as funding is finalised construction will start at the end of 2022 at the earliest The bulk of the work will take place in 2023 and 2024,“ Terhi Honkarinta project manager at the transport authority According to Yle.fi, Honkarinta currently expects final approval for the construction project by next summer. The project has a budget of 24 million euros, which will be distributed proportionally among three project partners in Finland and Sweden. The plan is to electrify the Laurila-Tornio-Haparanda section of the network, which would actually create a cross-border railway connection between Finland and Sweden. Actually, it’s hard to believe that this could only now become a reality. A first important step towards this was the reopening of the Haparanda railway station in March this year after a nearly 30-year interruption. From here, rail passengers will be able to connect to long-distance trains in southern Sweden, which means that the course has already been set on this side of the border. In addition to improving the infrastructure for industry in the far north, the bilateral project aims above all to enable passenger transport by rail between Finland and Sweden as part of the trans-European TEN-T network. Extensive work on and alongside the line must be approved for this. For example, the construction of passenger facilities at Tornio station. So all that is missing is the all-important „Go!“ so that rail travellers can completely circumnavigate the Baltic Sea. Or may easily travel to Lapland. Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Schweden und andere Länder sollten ein ähnliches... Das gefällt mir und ich meide ebenfalls US Produk... Open image viewerStrikers outside a steel plant in Tornio in March Image: Laura Valta / YleYle News16.5.2024 16:05The right-wing government led by PM Petteri Orpo (NCP) has asked President Alexander Stubb to sign off on its controversial new labour law He is expected to do so in his regular Friday meeting with ministers The 'industrial peace' legislation restricts the length of politically motivated strikes limits what it calls "disproportionate solidarity action," i.e and increases fines for violating industrial peace through illegal strikes Maximum fines for unlawful walkouts could rise from the current 37,400 euros to a maximum of 150,000 euros political work stoppages may last no more than 24 hours and other industrial action may be limited to two weeks The government submitted the bill to Parliament in late February. It was broadly approved in early May with MPs from two opposition parties – the Centre and Movement Now – voting with the four government parties The labour movement – which has close ties to the SDP – carried out a series of political strikes between September and early April to protest the government's planned labour and social services reforms According to the government's original proposal the changes would have come into effect at the beginning of July Users with an Yle ID can leave comments on our news stories. You can create your Yle ID via this link. Our guidelines on commenting and moderation are explained here.  Outokumpu is participating in the implementation of a wind park in Tornio, Finland. The company is a shareholder in Rajakiiri Oy, which is specialised in wind power. Rajakiiri has now made an investment decision to build a 30-megawatt wind park in Röyttä, on the sea coast of the Tornio Works site. Outokumpu will receive 20% of the wind power produced by the park.  Outokumpu's production site in Tornio is Finland's biggest single electricity user. By investing in energy production, Outokumpu aims to secure its competitiveness and ensure the supply of reasonably priced energy.  CEO Juha Rantanen: "Participation in this wind park project is an important element of our energy strategy, which aims to ensure that we have an inexpensive and stable-priced electricity supply from low-emissions energy sources. The wind park in Tornio complements our hydropower and nuclear energy projects."  Stainless steel is highly suitable for demanding industrial applications and the production of low-emissions energy. The wind power project helps Outokumpu to evaluate the potential for using the material in wind turbine installations. Offshore installations are a particularly interesting new application area for corrosion-resistant stainless steel.  More than 80% of the electrical energy used by Outokumpu originates from low-emission sources. The new wind power project will satisfy about half a percent of the company's total energy need. As part of its energy strategy, Outokumpu will investigate the possibilities to increase the share of wind power.  The wind park will start producing renewable energy at the end of 2010. The amount of electricity generated by the park correlates to the consumption of some 5 000 households.  For more information please contact: Mikko Rintamäki, Vice President - Energy, tel. +358 40 558 2289 but a temporary oneA sudden surge in asylum seekers entering Finland at Tornio on the border with Sweden last summer and autumn gave boosted the city's flagging local economy Open image viewerImage: Heidi Hannukainen / Yle1.3.2016 6:58•Updated 29.2.2016 20:06Jukka Kujala is the CEO of Team Botnia a development company jointly owned by the City of Tornio and local small and medium-sized enterprises He sounds satisfied when talk turns to the impact of the registration and reception centre set up last year to deal with the thousands of asylum seekers crossing the border from Sweden A shot of growth," is how he describes events of last year Even though the rise in the number of asylum seekers and the facilities to process and house them were significant expenditures for the State Open image viewerLast autumn prepaid SIM cards sold out in Tornio as fast as they could be stocked overnight stays in hotels in Tornio for a while were up by 300% For the latter half of the year hotel occupancy rates were double those from the same period of the year before says that he has been able to take on more staff He describes the change as "quite significant" and points out that it has also meant more work for others such as the supplier who delivers hotel breakfast fare Most of the upswing in hotel stays can be explained by the need to accommodate officials from out of town and they have also been patronizing local businesses from service stations to restaurants Housing asylum seekers has also brought more money into the economy the rent paid to the City on the former school that serves as a registration and refugee reception centre is around 20,000 euros a month The Roosamaria catering service would have mainly been cooking for local parties this past winter had it not been for the registration centre The small company has the contract to supply meals for asylum seekers at the centre Open image viewerThe Roosamaria catering service hired new employees to meet demand at the refugee registration centre Jaana Äärelä is stirring a pot of chicken and pea soup that will be on the menu for new arrivals "There's plenty of work," she comments Today there are only a few dozen refugees at the registration centre to be fed The situation will soon be much the same for the Park Hotel when responsibility for investigating asylum claims shifts from the police to the Immigration Service Team Botnia's Jukka Kujala believes that the boost has mainly been temporary "It looks like it's not having much effect anymore One can see it on the streets," says Kujala The fate of the registration centre is still to be decided but at least the City of Tornio is eager to see it extended Catherine Merridale heads to Sweden’s border with Finland – a place where the Communist dream almost ended The road to Haparanda in Sweden winds through elk country Where there are clearings in the birch and pine the view is snowy tundra but it could be heading to the rim of the world it hovers in the mud and snowdrifts like a spaceship making an unscheduled call bold lettering announces that it serves the twin towns of Haparanda-Tornio one here in Sweden and the other in Finland on an island just outside the shopping mall built to attract Russians and FinnsThe midnight sun in summer must be magical here and if I had arrived in February I might have seen the Northern Lights But the timing was not my choice; I had to follow someone else came through here on his way from Switzerland to Petrograd It was the most momentous rail journey in history the first step on the road to Soviet power I boarded my first train in Zurich five days ago Ticket to ride: the architecurally stunning bus station at Haparanda Photo: Sakari VierolaNow there is no one else in sight and I am grateful for my thickest woolly hat Sheer panic helps me grasp the point (I’m going to have to hire my sheets) but then I glimpse a notice in Cyrillic script about the hefty fines for smoking here inducing an immediate transformation in my host he lived in Moscow years ago; like Moscow’s this cold landscape turns out to conceal a warm The speciality is reindeer steak; rye bread may be a safer bet the hostel-keeper is quick to swoop on my plastic-wrapped croissant Water mark: sunset over the lake Photograph: Maria Sundvall/Getty Images/EyeEmBut that turns out to be the last good news I find a pickled herring floating in every jar My Stockholm friends had always said the safest place to eat would be Ikea The Haparanda locals are still proud of their Ikea Built in 2006 to attract Russians and Finns an intergalactic dock to the bus station’s spaceship It must be packed at some point – each year two million shoppers tramp through – but now the car park is empty Trade in the town was brisker in the first world war The border town was flooded by a sea of crates a shadow-city with its own dark streets and dead-end squares still less search every crate for contraband the bars in town were full of men in cheap ill-fitting suits; at night the action shifted to the forest where fortunes could be made from army-issue guns and fuses Another country: the Tornio river follows the border between Sweden and Finland Photograph: AlamyStrangers could disappear in moments in those primal woods Bad debts were settled with a bullet in the dark; it would have been a simple matter to have dealt with Lenin by the same technique The British even sent an officer to see to it He strip-searched Lenin and he questioned him but in the end he sent the Russian on his way Lenin went on to create the first ever Communist superpower Haparanda is still a tricky place to leave. I plan to catch an early bus that should connect to the Finnish railway at Kemi one set to Swedish time and one (an hour ahead) to Finnish My heart stops for a second; I just can’t afford to miss this one But the bus station ticket office has a man inside: so early He tells me that he has no tickets for sale Take the overnight train from Stockholm to Haparanda – tickets in October start at £94 for a single and the journey takes 17 hours (sj.se). Accommodation ranges from hostels to the grand Haparanda Stadshotell, where rooms start at £112 (haparandastadshotell.se) Lenin on the Train by Catherine Merridale is published by Allen Lane on 6 October, priced at £25. To order a copy for £20.50, visit bookshop.theguardian.com This is the archive of The Observer up until 21/04/2025. The Observer is now owned and operated by Tortoise Media. Finnish and EU citizens cannot be denied their right of free movement within the regional bloc daily life is split across both sides of the border barriers and surveillance cameras has angered Many residents think that not only has the government trampled on their constitutional rights but has done so with no understanding of the realities of life in the border region Yle asked four people intimately familiar with Tornio River Valley culture why an open border is so very important the border in the Tornio River Valley does not divide The border has actually created this entire region's culture without the border it wouldn't be what it now is," says Tornio resident and photographer Jaakko Heikkilä Open image viewerJaakko Heikkilä thinks that anyone born in the Tornio River valley should automatically have both Finnish And Swedish citizenship would be official recognition of the lived reality in the area Tero KyllönenThe present border was created between Sweden and what was then the Russian Empire's Grand Duchy of Finland in 1809 It separated what was at the time a culturally homogeneous area church congregations and economic zones and families This is what happened to Heikkilä's ancestors having it suddenly closed again is a really big deal," Heikkilä explains people's daily interactions with family and friends is only the visible expression of Tornio River Valley culture The Tornio River Valley is in a way its own country what in the local dialect is called "Meänmaa" or "Our Land" in the local dialect "In the 1990s when I started working and went back and forth across the border for photography whether on the eastern or western bank of the river," Jaakko Heikkilä recalls The border itself is the subject of humour "As the border crossing barriers went up it was a beautiful frosty morning and I skied across the frozen river to a shop where I bought caps for a toy cap gun my heart was pounding," Heikkilä laughs border regions are important because they are associated with movement people move across borders whether they are open or not who is originally from the Finnish town of Ylitornio located on the Tornio River just over a bridge from its twin city of Övertorneå in Sweden Open image viewerAuthor Rosa Liksom is confident that the border will be reopened just as soon as circumstances permit Image: Laura Joutsi / YleLocal residents will tell you that openness and tolerance are bred into people living along the border People are used to the fact that not everyone has the same lifestyle Liksom believes that these folk are more aware of what is happening in the world because information is one of the things that travels across borders Living along a border is a great privilege," says Rosa Liksom Liksom points out that the Tornio River Valley has a long history of international contacts International teams of researchers travelled up and down the river as early as the 17th century The Tornio River Valley is the route taken by many tourists headed towards the shores of the Arctic Ocean "The Tornio River Valley has not been some musty Rosa Liksom isn't overly concerned about the border being closed under the present circumstances "I'm a more rational that emotional person and maybe that's part of my northern upbringing I put feelings aside and take things calmly," Liksom explains "The first image that came to mind was like a scene from a science fiction movie - a space ship on which one of the crew members had been infected by a virus and is isolated from everyone else in an airlock," is how Adam Huuva a musician from the Swedish city of Haparanda recalls his reaction to news that Finland was closing the border This was something he had to see with his own eyes Open image viewerAdam Huuva says he finds it annoying that romanticized stories are being told of people meeting at border barriers Image: Antti Ullakko / Yle"It immediately aroused anger and anxiety in me There were outsiders calling for the border to be closed back then Huuva compares splitting the twin city of Tornio-Haparanda to deploying guards and barriers between Espoo and Helsinki He also points out the uncertainty that has accompanied the closing of the border He says official information has been poorly handled the legal basis for the closure has turned out to be non-existent and the practical application of border controls has been inconsistent that is what my sense of justice and my heart says," Huuva told Yle Huuva is also surprised that Minister of Finance Katri Kulmuni has at not taken the time to come forward to tell the people of her home town that she understands their predicament and feels their pain "The decision-makers have not yet been called to account for this but so far those decision-makers haven't admitted it," Huuva claims In her travels meeting researchers around the world a professor of European Ethnology at the University of Turku and a native of Kittilä in Lapland has tried to explain what the Tornio River Valley is and what it means She is not at all surprised that overnment cabinet members who decided to close the border don't get it Open image viewerProfessor Helena Ruotsala believes that closing the border has raised awareness of the unique culture of the Tornio River valley Image: Helena Ruotsala"My very first thought was that now the decision-makers don't understand why the western border is as special as it is It even seemed to come as a surprise how dependent Sweden is on Finnish workers," Professor Ruotsala points out Ruotsala's research has included how residents of the Tornio River Valley construct cross-border lives Everything can be split between two countries: work the border doesn't mean anything to the locals Openness is part of daily routines," explains Ruotsala the government has made the border visible and concretely so with barriers and guards dividing the twin city of Tornio-Haparanda would be like setting up barriers on the bridges over the Aura River in Turku where she now lives This would keep her from getting to work since her home and her job are on different sides the situation has also given rise to some less pleasant phenomena such as spying on neighbours' movements and honking horns at cars with Swedish plates seen driving on the Finnish side of the border she doesn't believe that this exceptional period will permanently scar cooperation in the area "I believe that it is more likely that this will strengthen the significance of cooperation in the border area I hope that now that the importance of this cooperation has been demonstrated it will be take up again with renewed vigour," says Helena Ruotsala Finland's Border Guard has announced that as of 14 May 2020 legislative restrictions on border traffic will be lifted for cross-border traffic within the Schengen area by allowing commuter traffic based on employment or assignment and other essential traffic It will no longer be necessary to provide reasons for the necessity of work commutes It will also be easier to meet with relatives It is not recommended to travel abroad for leisure