Business news

MINSK, 16 February (BelTA) – Plans have been made to hold the Belarusian-Finnish Energy Days in Belarus. The issue was on the agenda of the meeting between Deputy Chairman of the State Standardization Committee – Director of the Energy Efficiency Department Mikhail Malashenko, Ambassador of Finland to Lithuania and Belarus (with concurrent accreditation) Harri Maki-Reinikka, head of the Belarus Department at the Embassy of Finland Lauri Pullola, and representative of the Finnish Energy Club Maxim Danilin, BelTA learned from the Energy Efficiency Department of the State Standardization Committee.

The sides reaffirmed mutual eagerness to continue and expand cooperation in energy saving and energy efficiency.

According to Harri Maki-Reinikka, Belarus is an important partner of Finland in all areas, including the energy sector. Finland has been focused on energy efficiency issues for a long time and is proud of the achievements and experience in this field. Last year, a delegation of representatives of Finnish companies visited Belarus. They were ready to share the best practices in raising energy efficiency. As part of the visit, the sides held the seminar “Energy efficiency and green energy: Experience and solutions of Northern countries”.

Many countries of the Northern region made serous steps towards a broader use of local fuels, including renewable energy sources, long ago under the influence of the global oil crisis in 1973. Therefore, the experience of Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and other countries is important for Belarus because our country also wants to substitute imported oil and natural gas with local fuel and energy sources, Mikhail Malashenko remarked. “We are open for cooperation in energy saving, the more especially as Finnish-made boiler equipment is used at a number of facilities and is praised for its flawless operation,” he added.