The contract for the technical construction at the Sulkavuori central wastewater treatment plant will be executed as a project management contract that started with the development stage in August 2021. Kreate actively optimised the execution of the construction and the cost-efficiency of the solution as well as drew up the shared general schedule and project plan for the worksite together with the client and other actors. During the development stage, we also implemented a number of schedule critical procurements in order for the actual implementation stage to begin as fluently as possible.
The development work, which was done in good cooperation, was followed by the implementation stage of this environmental investment that utilises the latest wastewater treatment technology. The actual construction work, which requires versatile expertise in infrastructure construction, started in Sulkavuori in March 2022.
In this project, which is unique in many ways, the difference in elevation between the structural parts being built will be up to approximately 100 metres. Wastewater will be routed into the plant’s inlet water pumphouse that will be located 70 metres below the surface. The tallest vertical shaft being constructed between the rock chamber and the ground surface is nearly 80 metres in height, and a total of six exit shafts will be implemented as part of the project. Furthermore, the shaft structures leading from the wastewater inlet pump house up to the treatment plant level will rise up to a maximum of 35 metres.
Above ground, we are implementing a total of six buildings that serve the functions of the wastewater treatment plant. Furthermore, silo buildings of up 25 metres in height where biogas extraction occurs will be cast in situ above the ground.
Concrete construction is made even more demanding by the fact that particularly strict requirements have been placed on the long-term durability of concrete structures. To provide a sense of scale to our project, approximately 36,000 m³ of concrete will be cast, approx. 5.5–6.0 million kilograms of ribbed bar will be used for the concrete structures and approximately one million kilograms of steel structures, such as steel frames, shared support girders, crane trusses, access and maintenance platforms as well as steel stairs will be installed.
The frame and concrete structures will be completed by the summer of 2024. As regards the joint project venture, the contract will be completed in its entirety in June 2025, after which wastewater will be routed to the Sulkavuori central wastewater treatment plant. After this, finishing work and various adjustments will be performed at the central wastewater treatment plant until the end of the contract period.
By building a central wastewater treatment plan that processes wastewater from Kangasala, Lempäälä, Tampere, Vesilahti and Ylöjärvi, the owner municipalities are promoting water protection and sustainable development in the area and improving the prerequisites for the circular economy. Once complete, the plant will be able to produce all the thermal energy it requires and about one half of the required electrical energy.
In terms of technical construction work, the contract is worth approximately EUR 72 million, of which Kreate accounts for around EUR 36 million.
