Our personnel’s skills and well-being are strengthened through a long-term, community-orientated approach
At Westenergy, we create the right conditions for personnel development and continuous learning. The waste-to-energy sector, technologies, and systems we use are constantly evolving, which means our personnel need up-to-date knowledge and skills to respond to the ever-changing challenges and opportunities of our field and operating environment. During the annual development discussions in our company, we prepare a personalised training plan for each employee, considering both the company’s needs and the employees’ own development goals. In 2025, our personnel accumulated a total of 91 training days.
In 2025, we invested comprehensively in the well-being of our personnel by combining team activities with the monitoring and promotion of occupational well-being. Our workplace well-being group organised a trip abroad to Milan, which offered an opportunity to strengthen team spirit while also learning about a local waste-to-energy plant and its operations. During the year, we also held a staff summer party, and the holiday season was celebrated traditionally together with Westenergy’s owner companies. In addition, at the end of the year, personnel well-being was assessed through an occupational well-being survey and interviews. The survey results and planning of further actions are scheduled for 2026. Additionally, our employees have access to a well-equipped gym.
Westenergy employs a significant number of summer workers each year relative to the size of our workforce.
During 2025, Westenergy had 32 permanent employees and 14 employees on fixed-term contracts. Many of the fixed-term employees were summer workers who covered shifts in plant production and helped maintain outdoor areas. Westenergy employs a significant number of summer workers each year relative to the size of our workforce.
Many of our summer workers are students, but it is not the only form of collaboration. We collaborate with students, for example, through thesis projects. In 2025, three thesis projects were completed. These focussed on the development of waste quality inspections, the impact of removing confidence intervals on emission measurements, and the assessment of impurities and quality management of liquid carbon dioxide captured from flue gases.
Below you can read the career story of Development Engineer Miikka Kulmala, who completed his master’s thesis at Westenergy last year.
Miikka Kulmala: career opportunities through summer jobs
Miikka Kulmala started at Westenergy as a development engineer in 2025, but his story with the company began already in 2020, when he worked as a summer worker in production. The summer job at the waste-to-energy plant supported Miikka’s studies in energy technology at Vaasa University of Applied Sciences. The work helped put the theory from lectures into practice and made it easier for him to understand plant operations. After two summers at Westenergy, Miikka also completed his bachelor’s thesis for Westenergy, which focused on the practical utilisation of condensation water from Westenergy’s waste-to-energy plant.
The work helped put the theory from lectures into practice and made plant operations easier to understand.
After completing his engineering degree in energy technology, Miikka’s interest in the energy sector grew even stronger. He continued to deepen his expertise by studying for a master of science degree in the Energy Transition training programme at the University of Tampere. Miikka chose sector integration as the focus of his advanced studies. Thanks to his previous contacts with Westenergy, he was able to find a suitable thesis topic related to the company’s carbon dioxide capture project. His master’s thesis focused on how impurities in the flue gases of the waste-to-energy plant affect the quality of liquid carbon dioxide produced through carbon capture.
The master’s thesis was both challenging and rewarding, since there was only limited previous research available on the topic. Miikka admits that if he could do the work again, he would spend more time narrowing down the broad subject. Despite the challenges, developing something new and graduating with high marks turned Miikka’s experience into a positive one. The results were also very important for Westenergy, as the study confirmed the results from previous designs of carbon capture and liquefaction processes by reproducing them in the thesis work.
Miikka’s proactive approach and interest in development enabled him to secure a position as a Development Engineer at Westenergy immediately after graduation. The role includes a wide range of responsibilities, from GDPR and quality management to plant development projects. According to Miikka, there is much to learn as a newly graduated professional, but he is enthusiastic to be involved in developing the plant operations and the company as a whole. It is a great advantage for his career development to be able to learn more about the technical side of the plant alongside his current duties.
As a newly graduated professional, there is a great deal to learn, but Miikka is excited to be involved in developing the plant operations and the company as a whole.
According to Miikka, Westenergy is an employer that offers opportunities. Initiative is valued and easily opens new doors if one is willing to seize the opportunity. He also sees this as one of the strengths of a small company, because if you want more responsibility, you can have it. He recommends that students be proactive and openly discuss future opportunities with employers during summer jobs or thesis work. By being active, it is possible to discover opportunities that might not otherwise arise.
