An international knowledge-sharing partnership between Helsinki and Newcastle has seen a delegation from the Finnish capital make a visit to Tyneside.
The two cities joined forces through the European Union’s Net Zero Cities Learning Programme earlier this year.
Helsinki is among the world’s leading cities for district heating system connectivity – using infrastructure similar to the heating system at Newcastle Helix – with counterparts in Newcastle hoping to learn from their progress while sharing their own work in community engagement and supporting younger people to find routes into careers in green industries.
Finnish climate change experts visited Newcastle earlier in November where they were given a tour of the Helix Energy Centre by operators Bring Energy, attended Newcastle’s latest Climate Change Forum which focussed on public transport, as well as holding meetings with higher education partners and community groups.
Cllr Juna Sathian, Newcastle City Council Cabinet Member for Climate and Transport, said: “The partnership with Helsinki is a fantastic learning opportunity for both of our cities to better understand how we can each better prepare ourselves for the future.
“We’re incredibly proud of the Helix Energy Centre which provides low-carbon heating at scale, and is in the process of being expanded beyond its original masterplan, bringing lower-cost heating and energy to more buildings across our city.
“Finland, and Helsinki in particular, is a lot further along on their journey with district heating than the UK, and it’s been incredibly useful to learn about their experiences through this partnership, while sharing lessons from our own strengths, particularly in youth engagement with climate change.”
The partnership is set to see Newcastle benefit from Helsinki’s experience on the use of AI to manage heat demand and improving public awareness of sustainable heating and energy practices.
Climate change officers from Newcastle City Council visited Helsinki earlier this year. Both visits were fully funded by the EU programme.
Read more about Helsinki’s district heat network efforts.