NAMOR partners advance plans for the Finnish demonstration site in Mikkeli

A technical visit to Mikkeli wastewater treatment plant on 13 October 2026 helped NAMOR partners refine the preliminary demonstration concept and identify the next steps for its development.

NAMOR partners, including Francisco Fernandez and Robert Reinhart from ALGEN, met with local partners to review the treatment plant’s operation, infrastructure and planned demonstration location. Discussions focused on the plant configuration, available utilities and practical requirements for installing and operating the system.

The selected area already hosts a raceway reactor of approximately 1 m³. During the meeting, partners agreed on a preliminary concept to install two additional raceway reactors, creating three comparable units operating under a common monitoring and control framework.

The proposed setup would equip all three reactors with similar artificial LED illumination systems, supporting controlled comparisons under the low-light and low-temperature conditions characteristic of Mikkeli. Partners discussed reactor design, illumination, instrumentation, control and operational requirements.

The three-reactor configuration would enable comparative testing of variables such as illumination, hydraulic operation and biomass retention. By keeping environmental and control conditions comparable, the team aims to identify suitable operating conditions for the Finnish demonstration system.

As a next step, ALGEN will prepare a cost proposal for the required installations and equipment. The visit provides a clearer technical basis for further planning and development of NAMOR’s Finnish demonstration activities.