The Baltic Sea region’s leading bioenergy expert Vapo hosts the fifth leg of Jukola. Forest, peatland and nature are common elements to both the orienteer and Vapo. Bioenergy is our future, states Mr Reijo Vatanen, the Director of communications in Vapo Ltd.

The Finnish orienteer are familiar with bogs, as one third (almost 10 million hectares) of the area of Finland is covered by peatland. Over one million hectares are protected areas. Less than 1% of the peatland area is currently being used for peat production. Peat production cannot be considered as a threat for the Finnish peatland. Reijo Vatanen, the Director of Communications in Vapo, states that peat production lasts 20-30 years, after which the area can be re-used. There are already several examples of the re-use afforestation, re-paludification and bird sanctuaries in the former sites.

Vapo is the world leading supplier of peat. About one million Finns live in areas where district heating is generated by combined peat and wood combustion. In addition to this, pellets (wood, peat) and energy crops are some of the new business opportunities for Vapo.