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Long-term partnership between Aurinkokarhu and Futureal Energy Partners to target Nordic growth with 3GW energy platform
Finnish energy developer Aurinkokarhu has formed a long-term partnership with Futureal Energy Partners (FEP) to accelerate the development of battery storage, solar and hybrid renewable energy projects across Finland and the wider Nordic region.
The partnership brings together Aurinkokarhu’s local project development expertise with the financial backing of FEP, the energy arm of European Futureal Group.
A newly-established joint venture will oversee a portfolio of approximately 3GW of projects, initially focused on Finland before expanding into other Nordic markets, with Sweden identified as the next market for development.
Battery energy storage systems (BESS) will be the largest component of the pipeline, with around 2GW of storage projects currently under development. A further 1GW of solar capacity is planned, alongside a number of hybrid projects combining solar generation with battery storage.
Battery storage can absorb electricity during periods of high renewable output, such as particularly windy or sunny periods, and return it to the grid when demand increases. This can help reduce pressure on electricity networks while improving the ability of power systems to accommodate additional wind and solar generation.
Andreas Renfält, co-founder and CEO of Aurinkokarhu, said: “Batteries are the silent workhorses of the energy transition. Every megawatt-hour of storage capacity we build creates room for more renewable energy in the system without compromising the reliability of supply and it smooths out the sharpest spikes in electricity prices for ordinary consumers.”
The JV partners say that, for host municipalities, a battery storage facility is an unobtrusive neighbour: it takes up only a few hectares of land, is relatively quiet, produces no emissions and generates little traffic once it is built, while also providing property tax revenue to the municipality, lease income to landowners and local jobs during the construction period.
“Batteries are the silent workhorses of the energy transition” – Andreas Renfält, co-founder and CEO of Aurinkokarhu
Reflecting on the concept, Staffan Asplund, co-founder of Aurinkokarhu, explained: “We develop our projects in close dialogue with landowners, municipalities and utility companies and this partnership allows us to move projects to the construction phase quickly.
“It also sends a message of continuity to the local communities that are hosting one of our projects. “We want to offer residents, municipalities and other local stakeholders a well-capitalised developer with a long-term commitment.”
Flying Finns
The collaboration has already resulted in financing for the Tuovila project, one of the largest BESS initiatives in Finland. FEP provided funding for the development in 2025, with the 124MW battery facility now scheduled to begin operations in 2027.
“Finland has quickly established itself as one of Europe’s most attractive markets for renewable energy and energy storage,” said Daniel Szentirmai, co-founder and CEO of FEP.
“Together with Aurinkokarhu, we are building a scalable platform that combines deep local development expertise with institutional capital and a long-term strategic vision.”
The full article is available at cijworld.com.