Business news

MINSK, 15 September (BelTA) - The Finnish company FortumPlc plans to build a plant running on solid municipal waste in Belarus. The project was discussed in a meeting between Belarus’ Deputy Prime Minister Anatoly Kalinin and Under-Secretary of State for External Economic Relations Matti Anttonen of Finland and representatives of FortumPlc who are on a visit in Belarus, BelTA learned form the Belarusian Government.

At the meeting, representatives of FortumPlc informed the Deputy Prime Minister about the company's strategy of business development in the Eastern European region and its intention to build a power generating facility running on solid municipal waste in Belarus. The project worth up to €100 million in direct investment is planned to be implemented in Minsk. The company guarantees the compliance with the most stringent environmental requirements.

Anatoly Kalinin thanked the Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland and the representatives of the Finnish company for the interest in investment projects in Belarus and expressed hope for a speedy implementation of the arrangements. He noted that Belarus pays special attention to improving waste treatment systems, and attracting investment and new technologies in this area.

Anatoly Kalinin invited FortumPlc to hold consultations on the terms of the project and to conclude the investment contract with the Minsk City Hall, to work through the details of the project with the Housing and Utilities Ministry, the Energy Ministry and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection. The National Agency of Investment and Privatization has been instructed to ensure coordination and operational interaction of the company with the government bodies.

FortumPlc with an annual turnover of more than €3.5 billion owns, wholly or partially, 500 energy facilities in Finland, Norway, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and India, including 5 nuclear power plants in Finland and Sweden, and is the largest operator on the energy market in the Nordic countries.