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Kemira Oyj and VTT to Establish a Center of Water Efficiency Excellence to Finland

09.03.2010

The present Finnish competence of the water sector is being gathered into one center. The aim is to construct a new and unique competence of the water sector in Finland and to create new business opportunities for companies in the environmental technology sector. The research center supports the strategic target of the water chemistry company Kemira to become a leading water chemistry company and to promote profitable growth by generating new business in the already strong field of water knowledge. Kemira will arrange a press conference today, March 9 at 10.15 (Helsinki time), which will be attended by Harri Kerminen, Kemira CEO, along with Paula Lehtomäki, Minister of the Environment, Johan Grön, Kemira EVP of R&D and Technology, and Erkki KM Leppävuori, President and CEO of VTT.

The main partners of the Center of Water Efficiency Excellence are Kemira and VTT. ”The aim is to develop new technology, which helps to enhance the water usage and recycling, and to create more sustainable and energy-efficient solutions for the water intensive industry. When choosing the research sectors, one of the main selection criteria has been the growth of the global markets. Some examples of the research sectors are the cost-efficient cultivation of sea water into drinkable water, the utilization of bio mass resulting from the waste water treatment in production processes of energy and bio energy, and the decomposition of products", says Johan Grön.

”Already today, Kemira is one of the leading water chemistry companies globally. We have operations in 40 countries, an experience of decades in water technology, and a wide competence for different needs in water management. For Kemira, this is a strategic project, in which we are looking for growth based on new projects and customer relations. The lack of water and the problems caused by it is a sizable challenge globally for industries and megacities. The regions suffering from water scarcity are usually those where the industrial and population growth is the most rapid. This is why the water-intensive industry is constantly looking for solutions to boost their water efficiency. Normally, the water availability is not a problem in Finland, but we have the competence to solve the challenges caused by water scarcity. For Kemira and other environmental technology companies, this provides growth opportunities", says Harri Kerminen.

’’VTT has the know how and the structure that can combine different fields of technologies and expertise that meet well with the qualifications in developing new and open-minded environment and water technology. I believe that those products that are being developed in a center based on top expertise and know how meet high market demands and possess growing international potential. I also hope that this will open up a new commercialization of technology opportunity where top end technology can be exploited in water purification, recycling, monitoring and treatment of process waters’’, says VTT's President & CEO Erkki KM Leppävuori. According to Mr. Veli-Pekka Saarnivaara, CEO, Tekes (the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation), ”Tekes wants to be actively involved in this project and in constructing a strong basis for competence in Finland, and in new business activities in order to solve a growing global problem”.

Press Conference

March 9, 2010 at 10.15 (EET), at Gallery Kalhama & Piippo Contemporary, Mannerheimintie 3 B, 5th floor. The conference is in Finnish. The material is available in Finnish and English on the Kemira web pages. Further information: Anna-Kaisa Säkkinen, phone +358 50 387 6293.

Kemira Oyj
Päivi Antola, Senior Manager, Investor Relations and Financial Communications