The Kiertokaari Rusko waste centre is a carbon-neutral circular economy centre, which is based on industrial symbiosis and systematic investment in new environmentally friendly technologies using a circular economy approach. The circular economy centre produces, in its own micro turbine plant, using biogas as an energy source, the electricity and heating it needs, and sells biogas for fuel to industry and transport. In 2019, thanks to the work of Kiertokaari, a total of 2.8 million cubic metres of biogas were used in Oulu, replacing 1.6 million litres of light fuel oil. This quantity corresponds to the annual amount of oil needed to heat 640 houses. The company's investments in gas extraction and exploitation have also triggered a series of low-carbon investments by other actors in the region. Thanks to a collaborative network of industrial operators put together by Kiertokaari, the Rusko circular economy centre has acquired a biogas plant, operated by a partner, in which biogas is produced from the processing of decomposed bio-waste and turned into fuel for industry and transport, with the digestate used as field fertiliser. In 2017, Kiertokaari opened a transport biogas refuelling station in Oulu. The biogas ecosystem works smoothly and has expanded over the years, thanks to new technologies and skilled partners. This contributes to the well-being of the environment and local people, and helps meet the city's carbon neutrality objectives.
