Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre acquires solar power plant from energy company Helen
Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre and energy company Helen built one of Helsinki’s largest solar power plants on the centre’s roof in 2019. Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre acquired the solar power plant from Helen at the beginning of May. The share of solar-generated electricity will increase further in autumn 2027, when the centre’s future event space, Messukeskus Solar, is completed and the new rooftop solar power plant is taken into use.
Improving energy efficiency and utilising renewable energy are part of Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre’s long-term environmental responsibility efforts. In 2019, Helen built one of Helsinki’s largest solar power plants on the roof of the Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre, and the plant was expanded in 2020.
Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre acquired the solar power plant from Helen at the beginning of May.
“The acquisition made strategic sense for us. We can utilise all the electricity produced by the solar power plant ourselves. The best period, the summer months, is still ahead. We are looking forward to seeing what kind of yield we will get,” says Mika Vakkilainen, Property Director at Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre.
The next phase in utilising solar electricity will begin in autumn 2027, when the future event space Messukeskus Solar—to be built in front of the current main entrance—will be completed. A new solar power plant will be installed on the roof of the building, which will rise to a height of about 14 metres. The plant will use so‑called mini‑inverter technology, meaning each panel will have its own inverter instead of one large central inverter.
“With the solar power plant of Messukeskus Solar, the share of self-produced solar electricity will reach 5–6 percent of the centre’s annual electricity consumption, which is a good level,” Vakkilainen says.
Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre hosts nearly 450 events annually, attracting more than one million visitors each year. Electricity is essential, as up to 30,000 people may visit the venue in a single day.
Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre is a climate partner of the City of Helsinki and contributes to building a carbon‑neutral capital.
More information:
Mika Vakkilainen, Property Director, Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre, tel. +358 50 566 9357, mika.vakkilainen@messukeskus.com
Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre (Messukeskus)is one of the largest event venues in the Nordic countries and an influential meeting platform. Finland’s largest event organiser produces high‑quality events and rents out its facilities and services as a venue for a wide range of events.
The Finnish Fair Group includes, in addition to Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre, the trade fair organiser Expomark Oy and the AV technology company SVV Oy. In 2025, the Group’s revenue was 60.5 million euros. The economic impact of Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre on the surrounding area was 245 million euros, and its employment impact was 3,335 person-years (2024). I Messukeskus. The real social media. I messukeskus.com I @messukeskus
