OX2, a pioneer in renewable energy, is one of Europe's leading developers of wind power, among other things. At the turn of last year, the company handed over the completed wind farm in Lestijärvi, and OX2 is currently building the Honkakangas and Kannistoi wind farms in Halsua. Markus Luukkonen, Project Manager of the Honkakangas wind farm, explained the opportunities that OX2 projects bring to subcontractors and the role that the suurhanketoimisto.fi service has played in the Honkakangas project at a seminar organised by SEMUKAS in Kaustinen.
The installation of wind turbines in the Honkakangas wind farm will start in spring 2026. Photo: Henry Haataja, Enerquest Oy
"OX2 projects have had a domestic content rate of around 85%."
Especially during the construction phase of the wind farm, subcontracting is needed for a wide range of works.
- Earthworks and infrastructure construction, including roads and lifting platforms. From electrical work to medium-voltage networks, substations, cabling and measurements. Logistics and warehousing services are also needed, as well as cranes and crane operators. Support services include accommodation and catering, which have been excellent in the Honkakangas project," Luukkonen said, listing examples.
After the installation phase and the completion of the wind farm, subcontractors will take care of road and site maintenance. In addition, according to Mr Luukkonen, the turbine suppliers are increasingly sourcing maintenance and inspection of the wind farms' electrical systems from Finland and locally.
In the Honkakangas project in Halsua, OX2 has subcontracted 45-50 subcontractors before the transformer and power plant deliveries. For the Lestijärvi wind farm, the corresponding figure was around 80.
- Afterwards, when we calculate the domestic content of the projects, the figure has usually been around 85 percent," Mr Luukkonen said.
"Suurhanketoimisto.fi serves in real time "
When it comes to how local companies can get involved as subcontractors for large-scale projects, Markus Luukkonen said they come to suurhanketoimisto.fi.
- We are the developer, and we procure the main contractor, who in turn procures the subcontractors. In the past, we have had local contractors and other service providers contact us directly. We have then put the companies' details into Excel, because that is the only way we have had, and passed them on to the contractor. One problem with this practice is that the busy project manager rarely remembers to update that Excel and present the updated list to the contractor.
- Here in the Kaustinen region, suurhanketoimisto.fi is a great service. It allows us to direct service providers to submit their details on that site, and OX2, in turn, immediately informs the contractor at the tendering stage and when the contract is signed that the service providers can be found on Suurhanketoimisto. This has made our work much easier. When I have worked in places where there is no such service, I have told the municipalities that it is worth creating such a service," said Mr Luukkonen, pleased with his experience.
He believed that once a subscriber has found a reliable service provider nearby, they are likely to continue to order from the same local supplier. In addition, major projects can be a way for a local company to expand its own business.
- I myself know of a case where a company set up by two young guys started with one small machine. They got involved in our project, which in the long run has generated a lot more work, and they now employ dozens of people.
OX2's project manager Markus Luukkonen had a very good experience with the Suurhanketoimisto.fi service, which he says has greatly facilitated the company's work on major projects in Lestijärvi and Halsua. Picture Suurhanketoimiston ERP työpöydältä, where users can quickly find local subcontractors and accommodation services.
Turbine deliveries to Honkakangas wind farm to start
Markus Luukkonen also gave an update on OX2's latest news. Globally, the company has 26.4 gigawatts of renewable energy projects under development and 1.4 gigawatts under construction, 90% of which are in Finland.
The Lestijärvi wind farm, handed over at the turn of last year, was at that time the largest onshore wind farm in Finland with an annual production of 1.3 terawatt hours. The wind farm has a total of 69 turbines and will produce enough electricity to meet the electricity needs of around 280 000 households. The Honkakangas and Rajamäenkylä wind farm project in Halsua consists of 70 wind turbines with a total annual production of 1.6 terawatt hours. The civil works at Honkakankaa are starting to be completed and the turbine supplier will start delivering components for the turbines at the end of March.
OX2's latest project is the Kannisto wind farm in Halsua, where work started at the turn of the year. The wind farm will consist of 20 turbines with a combined capacity of 124 MW.
