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From resilience to business opportunities, Vaasa EnergyWeek brings together global leaders to shape the future of energy. What started as a regional initiative is now a thriving ecosystem attracting experts, policymakers and partners from around the world.
At the opening event of Vaasa EnergyWeek, held at Ritz, Kristoffer Jansson, Communications & Brand Manager at EnergyVaasa, looked out over a packed room of energy experts, top politicians and public officials.
“In Germany, there is a saying: you should not chase butterflies, because they will fly away. Instead, you should build a garden — and they will come to you.”
Jansson used the metaphor to describe Vaasa EnergyWeek as that garden — an ecosystem that has grown around the event and the region’s energy cluster.
“And this garden is growing.”
Opening ceremony
Although EnergyWeek began the day before, this marked the official opening ceremony. Tomas Häyry, Mayor of Vaasa, delivered the opening address.
“We live and breathe energy in Vaasa.”
He highlighted how the region’s energy cluster continues to expand rapidly. Large companies act as locomotives, making major investments that attract subcontractors and partners.
“We are often asked how this is possible in a small city like Vaasa. Cooperation is one answer—but in reality, we go beyond cooperation. We co-create to add value.”
We co-create to add value.
Energy resilience is crucial
The next speaker, H.E. Mykhailo Vydoinyk, Ambassador of Ukraine to Finland, addressed the critical importance of energy resilience and self-sufficiency. Reflecting on the ongoing war with Russia, he described the past winter as the most difficult so far.
Initially, Ukraine focused on repairing damaged infrastructure as quickly as possible. Now, the strategy has shifted towards resilience—building smaller, more decentralized energy systems that are less vulnerable to disruption.
New opportunities emerging
H.E. Simon van der Burg, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Finland, shifted the focus to the opportunities arising within the energy transition.
“This is not only about solving the climate crisis—it is also about business opportunities.”
He highlighted the Netherlands’ strengths in solar and wind energy, while noting that not everything can be electrified. Hydrogen, he emphasized, will also play an important role.
“This is an area where Finland and the Netherlands can collaborate and we are already doing so.”
A call for practical collaboration
H.E. Ibnu Wahyutomo, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Finland, brought a highly practical perspective. For Indonesia, he stressed, the key challenge is keeping energy affordable while advancing the green transition.
“Finland has strong expertise, for example in making energy systems more reliable when integrating renewables.”
He concluded with a clear message:
“We welcome cooperation that delivers real results.”
Here you can find the full program and register for events.
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