Gren

Dalius Misiunas has been appointed as a Supervisory Board member of Gren – the Northern European green energy company. He joins 5 other members of the Supervisory Board: Matti Viljo (Chairman), Baiba Anda Rubesa, David Daum, Nicholas Pepper and Urmo Heinam.

Dalius Misiunas is an experienced, determined, and motivating business executive with a range of experience in engineering and management consulting, utility industry, manufacturing and retail. Dalius Misiunas will bring highly valuable experience to the Gren’s Supervisory Board in the areas of strategy development, corporate governance, efficiency improvement, business development and innovation management.

Matti Viljo, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, gladly welcomes Dalius Misiunas: “I am delighted to see that such strong personalities and market professionals join our board. Dalius’ experience record in well-known Lithuanian companies, knowledge of the energy market, and professionalism on boards will contribute to our strategy implementation.”

Dalius Misiunas, commenting on the start of his new role, says: “Gren companies already have a strong portfolio and impressive development track in the Baltic region. Gren looks to me as an up-and-coming energy market player with an ambitious strategy to grow. By joining the company’s board, I am ready to contribute my knowledge and experience to the successful future development of this energetic team”.

Dalius Misiunas is the Rector of ISM University of Management and Economics. Dalius has more than 10 years of experience in various business organizations: Ernst & Young, Lietuvos Energija, Maxima Group and SWECO. He is also an independent member of the Board and Chairman of the AUGA Group and an independent member of the supervisory council at Swedbank Lithuania. Dalius Misiunas was educated in Kaunas University of Technology, later continued his studies at Lund University in Sweden, where he obtained a doctorate. He has completed the Executive Program for Professional Board member at the Baltic Institute of Corporate Governance.

Gren has signed an agreement to acquire a district heating business (the Company) from E energija group. This transaction is a part of Gren’s growth strategy execution in the Northern European energy markets.

The transaction covers E energija group’s heating business in 5 Lithuanian cities: Akmenė, Klaipėda, Trakai, Vilnius and Visaginas. The Company operates under UAB Šiluma miestams name, annual energy delivery has been approximately 320 GWh, total production capacity of 162 MW. The Company has 110 employees.

“From the very beginning of our activities in Baltic countries, we were striving to offer green energy based on local renewables and waste. We strongly continue our green growth by acquiring additional assets that produce energy from over 90% of the biomass. We will continue all operations and obligations to our clients, employees and partners while adding more effectiveness and innovations to our joint businesses”, – said Vitalijus Žuta, Country Head, Gren Lietuva.

“E energija group has developed and managed their district heating business in very professional manner over the years. We are looking forward on further expanding our businesses in Lithuania and we continue investments to the energy infrastructure benefitting customers and societies”, – said Ilkka Niiranen, CEO of Gren Group.

“With this transaction E energija group has completed its strategic transition from being a district heating operator, towards becoming the leading wind and solar project developer and owner in the region. Local electricity generation from renewables has become even more important in the light of current geopolitical situation and with our portfolio of over 1000 MW renewable projects we are ready to strengthen our contribution to energy independence of Lithuanian energy sector.”, – said Gediminas Uloza, CEO at E energija group.

The parties have agreed to not disclose the value of the transaction. The transaction is subject to Competition council approval and is expected to be completed in the second half of 2022.

Andris Vanags, the Country Head of Gren operations in Latvia comments: “The acquisition of Energia Verde is part of Gren’s strategy to grow through targeted strategic acquisitions and new greenfield projects. In the current geopolitical environment, the role of local and renewable energy resources for energy production is of utmost importance to secure the necessary energy supplies, mitigate the energy price increase as well as address the environmental targets. We will use our experience and know-how to secure the added value for the customers.”

Ilkka Niiranen, the CEO of Gren explains: “Gren focuses on developing and providing sustainable energy solutions, primarily district heating. For more than 10 years Gren companies in the Baltic countries have been working purposefully to reduce our dependence on imported natural gas. We already mainly use renewable and local resources for energy production: in Jelgava, Daugavpils, Pärnu and Tartu we use wood chips, while in Klaipeda and Kaunas we use waste. The biomass CHP plant in Riga is a logical and appropriate addition to our production fleet.”

The CHP plant near Riga will continue its operations and supplies of competitive and clean district heating produced from local, renewable energy resource – woodchips, to A/S Rīgas Siltums – the operator of Riga district heating system.

On Thursday, February 24, Russian troops invaded Ukraine. This completely unjustified and unacceptable Russian war against the sovereignty of Ukraine and its people has engendered both sorrow and compassion in us all.

To support Ukrainians suffering from the brutal and cruel war in Ukraine, Gren – the Northern European green energy company, is donating 30 000 Euro or 100 Euro per each Gren employee to the Red Cross. The donation sum will be equally distributed to the Red Cross organizations in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

“This is a time when no one can stand indifferent. All our eyes are on Ukraine where millions of innocent people are suffering, dying, were forced to leave their homes and native country. It is inconceivable that something like this could happen in 21^st century Europe. We, Gren, colleagues, are in solidarity with European democratic values and support Ukrainian people suffering from the war. We are sure that the Red Cross organizations of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania will target our support for the purposes where it is most needed and helpful for Ukrainians. We are prepared to continue our support in the future.” says Ilkka Niiranen, the CEO of Gren.

Baiba Anda Rubesa has been appointed as a Supervisory Board member of Gren – the Northern European green energy company. She joins 4 other members of the Supervisory Board:  Matti Viljo (Chairman), Nicholas Pepper, David Daum and Urmo Heinam.  

Baiba Anda Rubesa is an experienced, results oriented and inspiring business executive with a range of business experience from energy, retail, telecommunications, and transport industries. Baiba A. Rubesa will bring highly valuable experience to the Gren’s Supervisory Board in the areas of corporate governance, sustainability requirements, stakeholder engagement with the key focus on ESG – environmental, social, and corporate governance.  

Matti Viljo, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, warmly welcomes Baiba Rubesa: “I am happy that Baiba Rubesa is joining the Supervisory Board of our company. Gren is currently in the phase of very active and rapid development, and I am sure that Baiba Rubesa’s extensive experience will support our ambition to develop and grow into a truly customer-centric residential and industrial energy solutions provider in the Baltics and beyond.”  

Baiba A. Rubesa, commenting on the start of her new role, says: “I am excited and honored to be part of the growth story for an energy company committed to sustainability. Gren has a strong foundation and a high potential for positive development. I am keen to share my knowledge and experience to ensure the company’s viability by good quality, reliable services for customers and outstanding sustainability performance.” 

Baiba A. Rubesa holds several supervisory business positions, among them as Chair of  HansaMatrix AS and Coffee Address Group in the Baltic. Previously Baiba A. Rubesa has served on Supervisory Boards of large Baltic companies, most pertinently Latvenergo AS, Citadele Banka. Prior executive positions include CEO of RB and different executive positions in Statoil. Baiba A. Rubesa was educated in Canada at York University and Shaw College. 

Welcome to Gren, Baiba! We are happy to have you among us. 

On December 1, 2021, two highly qualified and experienced professionals are joining Gren: Reena Säästla as Chief Legal Counsel and Tomas Miskunas as Chief Information Officer. 

Ilkka Niiranen, the CEO of Gren, warmly welcomes the new colleagues to the team: “I am very pleased that Gren team has been joined by highly qualified professionals in their field who are excited and determined to participate in our interesting journey of growth and development into an independent customer-centric residential and industrial energy solutions provider. The journey of new activities in Gren is taking up speed!” 

Reena Säästla

Chief Legal Counsel

Reena Säästla as Chief Legal Counsel (CLC) will be responsible for legal affairs of the entire Gren Group. She will lead and develop legal strategy of Gren and will provide direction and support of legal and regulatory issues.  

Reena Säästla is an experienced legal counsel who has worked in energy business for the last 13 years. Reena joins Gren from Adven Group, where she has been Chief Legal Counsel for the Baltics. Previously she has worked for Eesti Energia.  

Tomas Miskunas 

Chief Information Officer

Tomas Miskunas as Chief Information Officer will be responsible for ensuring that Gren’s long term strategy is supported by IT/business technology in respect of operational excellence, M&A readiness and cyber security. Tomas Miskunas and business technology team will drive Gren’s IT/business strategy, technology roadmap and development.  

Tomas Miskunas is highly professional leader experienced on managing complex programs and transformations for major global businesses. He joins Gren from Ignitis Group, where he has been leading IT Development.  

Reena Säästla and Tomas Miskunas will be part of Gren Management Team.  

Works of construction of a unique road section, where slag generated in the process of conversion of non-hazardous waste to energy was used, were recently completed in Jurbarkas district. This is the first project of such kind in Lithuania aimed at studying the road in detail and determining the impact that slag has on road operation. The conducted study and the evaluation of the achieved results will allow to decide on further use of slag on Lithuanian roads.

9 000 tons of slag which was generated at the UAB Gren Klaipėda waste-to-energy plant and prepared for use was used in the one-kilometre-long test section. The client of the project was SE Lithuanian Road Administration, the contractor – AB Kauno Tiltai, while the Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VILNIUS TECH) conducted research in the course of road installation and operation.

The exact location of the experimental section is the regional road of national significance No. 1705 Mikutaičiai I–Vertimai, from 1,8 to 2,8 km, in Jurbarkas district. 5 experimental paving structures were installed in this section. The project has been implemented in two stages. The first stage is the installation of an experimental section and the second stage will be the assessment of the possibility of using slag on the road with the help of installed sensors. The second phase will last till April 2024, but performance results are likely to be available after the first or the second winter.

“The first attempt in Lithuania to use slag generated during the incineration of non-hazardous waste in the construction of roads is an excellent example of the implementation of principles of circular economy. If this experiment proves successful, we would reap comprehensive benefits – waste amounts would be reduced, leaving the environment cleaner, and we would have recycled raw materials generated in Lithuania for expanding road infrastructure. This would be a new step in the transport sector, opening up wider perspectives for the use of environmentally sustainable materials in road construction”, the Minister of Transport Marius Skuodis said.

In September, the Ministry of the Environment approved new requirements for the treatment of ash and slag, which allow using slag remaining after waste incineration in road construction, installation of building foundations, covering layers of disposed waste, closing landfills and installation of temporary roads in them.

The Minister of the Environment Simonas Gentvilas hopes that if the experiment proves successful, it will become possible in the future to use all the secondary raw materials generated in the country, including ash and slag, which will replace granite, which usually is imported into the country. “I invite drivers going through Vertimai village to take note of the road section, which professionals have turned into a road using material that was once our waste. The use of ash and slag creates new value instead of disposing of useful materials in landfills,” says the Minister of the Environment.

Remigijus Lipkevičius, Director of SE Lithuanian Road Administration, says that having obtained positive research results and determined that proper use of slag generated in waste incineration plants in Lithuania is possible, volumes of disposed slag and its disposal costs could decrease, also leading to a decreased need for new aggregates (gravel, crushed stone) extracted in quarries.

According to Vitalijus Žuta, General Director of UAB Gren Lietuva, this is another long-awaited stage of waste utilization. “Since the time when the first waste-to-energy plant started operating in Klaipėda, we have been actively and consistently working to ensure that slag is recognized a useful material, and would be put in use rather than simply disposing of it. During that time, we conducted five long-term studies with various departments of Vilnius Gediminas Technical University and proved that our slag is a reliable and useful material. And this project brought this idea to life,” said Vitalijus Žuta.

There are currently three waste-to-energy plants operating in Lithuania with a total capacity of 615 000 tons of waste per year. In the process of energy recovery, i.e. incineration, about 20% of this amount comes up in the form of slag. Thus, about 120 000 tons of slag are generated in Lithuania per year. Slag forms in the process of incineration of non-hazardous waste at temperatures as high as 1000°C and is a solid, cellular material.

On November 8, 2021 Ilkka Niiranen starts as Chief Executive Officer of Gren, the leading Northern European green energy company. He was appointed on July 8, 2021.

For the past 10 years Ilkka Niiranen has worked for Adven Group holding various executive positions including Country CEO of Sweden and Norway. Ilkka Niiranen has strong experience in District Heating and Cooling, Power Generation and Industrial Energy Solutions (IES) where he has been responsible for sales and investment projects. He has also worked on M&A, carve-outs and integrations.

Matti Viljo, Chairman of the Board, warmly welcomes Ilkka Niiranen in Gren: “We are approaching the moment of becoming a fully independent company from the beginning of 2022 and I expect Ilkka to play an instrumental role in developing Gren’s strategy that will be based not only on Gren’s current strong business, but will also include new and exciting growth elements that will  promote Gren’s development into an independent customer-centric residential and industrial energy solutions provider.”

Ilkka Niiranen, commenting on the start of his new role, says: “I am excited and honored to take on the responsibility to steer the development of this great company. I am very much looking forward to meeting and working together with the highly professional team of Gren. This will be an interesting journey as we will become a truly stand-alone leading Northern European green energy company.”

Ilkka Niiranen has studied energy markets, strategy and international business in Helsinki University of Technology and he holds degree of Master of Science in Technology.

We are excited to announce that we have entered into new business line oriented on industries, also known as industrial energy solutions (IES). New B2B business line will be lead by our new colleague, Chief Growth Officer, Kevin Vaher.

”I am very glad that we have Kevin joining our team. He is very experienced in energy service models and has now the urge to take this service approach to another, a more flexible and customer oriented level”, says Matti Viljo, Chairman of the Board of Gren.

Kevin Vaher has studied heating and cooling in Tallinn University of Technology and business administration in Estonian Business School. He has experience in both private and public sector, being active in various positions from entrepreneur to manager of engineers union. For the last 10 years Kevin has been focusing on real estate and industry oriented energy solutions.

From July 5^th 2021, Fortum’s heating & cooling business in the Baltics, recently acquired by Partners Group, a leading global private markets firm, acting on behalf of its clients, relaunches as Gren, the Northern European green energy company. Gren focuses on developing and providing sustainable energy solutions, primarily district heating, using renewables and local resources to meet local communities’ needs and provides comfort for their daily lives while also having a positive impact on the environment.

Matti Viljo, Chairman of the Board of Gren, is pleased to introduce Gren. “We are a new brand, and at the same time, our customers, partners and other stakeholders know us very well as our companies have been in the Baltic energy market for several decades. We will continue all our operations and will serve all our customers with the same services and offerings. We are determined to widen the services and to grow even greener together with our customers.” – said Matti Viljo.

The relaunch as Gren is the first step in a strategy that seeks to transform the company from a portfolio of attractive district heating assets into an independent customer-centric residential and industrial energy solutions provider. Partners Group will draw on its extensive experience in building out infrastructure platforms to grow the asset through new greenfield projects and targeted strategic acquisitions. Other transformational initiatives will include extending Gren’s heating networks to develop new heating and cooling solutions for industrial and commercial customers.

In Estonia, Gren provides clean and reliable district heating produced in biomass combined heat power plants from local and renewable resources to approximately 1’900 customers and 72’000 end-users in Tartu and around 890 customers and 19 000 end-users in Pärnu. Customers in Pärnu and Tartu are also provided with environmentally friendly district cooling produced in modern district cooling plants from rivers’ water. Other Gren’s services in Estonia include steam and direct electricity for industrial customers.

In Latvia, Jelgava, Gren provides reliable and sustainable district heating produced in a biomass combined heat and power plant from local renewable resources to approximately 16 000 households and 173 business customers, including schools, public buildings, and businesses, as well as providing services for individual heat substations for housing associations, individual houses, and business customers. In Daugavpils, Gren provides competitive and efficient heat to the city’s district heating operator.

In Lithuania, Gren serves the district heating companies of the cities of Klaipeda and Kaunas with sustainable heat energy produced in waste-to-energy combined heat and power plants as well as from biofuels. In Joniškis and Švenčionys, Gren serves its customers – residents and businesses – with efficient and sustainable district heating produced mainly from local biofuels.

Gren will continue all the operations and services previously provided by Fortum’s heating & cooling businesses in the Baltics. The change does not affect the customers, partners, other stakeholders, or the prices of Gren’s services and products.