Helinä Pohjanlaakso

Senior Associate, Master of Laws

Services

  1. Environment, Energy & Green Transition
  2. ESG and Corporate Sustainability

Contact details

I advise our clients on matters related to the environment, infrastructure and natural resources.

Prior to joining Castrén & Snellman, I worked at the Finnish Ministry of Transport and Communications on matters related to transport services. The experience increased my interest in environmental and energy matters as well as my understanding about the national and EU politics and the overall impact of the Green Transition on environmental legislation.

Alongside my studies, I worked in other Finnish business law firms, at the European Parliament and in several Finnish ministries. As part of my master’s studies, I spent one academic year at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich in Germany, where I gained a comprehensive understanding about the German legal system.

I am currently undertaking geography studies at the University of Helsinki, in order to understand the state of our environment more broadly than just from a merely legal perspective.

I also assist our clients in German.

I am currently on family leave.

Latest references

Verne Global – Data center project in Mäntsälä
We are assisting Verne Global Ltd, the leading provider of sustainably powered HPC data centers in the Nordics, in developing a data center in Mäntsälä, Finland. We advised Verne in acquiring the real estate company managing the Mäntsälä site, as well as in the subsequent acquisition of the site itself. Our assistance extends beyond real estate transactions to include permitting and tax-related matters. Additionally, we advise Verne on grid connection and electricity supply matters. The acquisition of the project site in Mäntsälä marks Verne’s fourth data center in Finland, reinforcing its position as a leader in sustainable and scalable data center solutions. The Mäntsälä campus, spanning 10 hectares and located just a 40-minute drive from Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport, will initially offer a capacity of 70 MW. The facility is designed to support data-intensive enterprises and AI innovators running HPC, machine learning, and other high-intensity workloads, all while operating exclusively on renewable energy. Verne’s new facility will adhere to the company’s best practice design principles, focusing on maximizing efficiency and minimizing environmental impact. The campus will be powered entirely by renewable energy sources, and waste heat generated by the data center will be utilized for local community heating projects. The company is working closely with the Mäntsälä Municipality to ensure the new facility benefits the local area, including plans to harness waste heat for district heating. Construction of Verne’s Mäntsälä data center is set to begin in mid-2025 and is expected to take two years to complete. This expansion is a strategic move in Verne’s long-term plan to build out its sustainably powered data center platform, which was acquired by Ardian, a world-leading private investment house, in early 2024. Ardian has already invested over EUR 1.6 billion in the Nordics, focusing on energy transition and digital infrastructure projects, and is working with Verne to drive sustainable growth across the region.  Read Verne Global’s press release.
Case published 20.2.2025
Verne Global – Data center expansion in Helsinki region
We are assisting Verne Global Ltd, the leading provider of sustainably powered HPC data centers in the Nordics, in expanding a data center in Helsinki region, Finland. In the autumn of 2024, we acted as Verne’s advisor in acquiring the land at its existing Helsinki data center campus, securing room for future expansion. In addition to real estate development, our advice covers permitting and construction related legal matters. The expansion marks another milestone in Verne’s ambitious growth strategy for the Nordics, following the recent announcement of its new facility to be built in Mäntsälä, Finland. The land was acquired from Onvest, a family-owned company with a long history in the region. The site’s strategic location provides excellent connectivity to power and fibre networks, proximity to Helsinki Airport, and easy access to the city centre – making it ideal for organisations across industries looking for reliable, accessible, and well-connected facilities. Verne plans to develop the site further, leveraging its 70MW capacity to meet the increasing demand for sustainable, high-performance compute infrastructure. Designed with high-density compute in mind, the planned expansion will include two new buildings fully equipped to meet the technical requirements of AI, HPC, and other intensive workloads. Verne remains committed to sustainability, with the Helsinki campus running on 100% renewable energy. Waste heat generated by the data center is repurposed through a direct connection to the local district heating network. All new facilities will be built to support liquid cooling, enabling efficient management of the high heat levels generated by AI and other intensive compute workloads. Additionally, Verne uses renewable diesel for its backup power generators in Finland, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the generators by an average of 90%. News: Verne expands Helsinki data center campus with strategic site acquisition. Read Verne Global’s press release.
Case published 20.2.2025
Fortum – Acquisition of a project development portfolio for renewable power from Enersense
We are acting as a counsel to Fortum in a transaction in which Fortum is strengthening its renewable power project pipeline through the acquisition of a project development portfolio from Enersense. The debt-and-cash free purchase price is approximately EUR 9 million, with the potential for project-specific earn-outs subject to projects successfully reaching a final investment decision in the future. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to be completed during the first quarter of 2025. Fortum is a leading Nordic energy company with the purpose to power a world where people, businesses and nature thrive together. Fortum’s core operations comprise of efficient, CO2-free power generation as well as reliable supply of electricity and district heat to private and business customers. The company is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki. One of Fortum’s strategic targets is to develop at least 800 MW of ready-to-build onshore wind and solar projects by the end of 2026.
Case published 19.12.2024
Excelerate Energy – Chartering an FSRU to Finland
We advised Excelerate Energy on the conclusion of a lease agreement with Gasgrid Finland Oy for the Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) Exemplar. The Inkoo LNG terminal project will have a significant impact on securing the supply of gas to Finland and Estonia as imports of pipeline gas from Russia cease. The Exemplar is the first FSRU in Finland and the Inkoo LNG terminal project is legally unique. Moreover, the project, which is critical for Finland’s and the Baltics’ gas supply, was completed in an exceptionally short timeframe. Our experts assisted the company in a wide range of areas including contracts, energy legislation, licensing, labour law, taxation and structuring.
Case published 9.6.2023
Kemijoki – Major construction project for pumped storage hydropower plants that enable safe energy transition
We are advising Kemijoki Oy as the company is exploring the possibility of building pumped storage hydropower plants as part of its existing production infrastructure in Northern Finland. The socially significant project enables safe energy transition and would have a significant role in mitigating climate change. The 200–600 MW pumped storage power plants explored by Kemijoki Oy would increase the regulating capacity of hydropower in Finland by up to 4,000 MW. The increase is exceptionally significant since Finland’s current hydropower capacity, which is mainly regulatable, is 3,100 MW. The scale of the project is also reflected in the fact that the nominal capacity of the company’s largest operating hydropower plant, Petäjäskoski hydropower plant, is 182 MW. The scale of the possible investment totals up to 3 billion euros. The production of weather-dependent wind and solar power will increase significantly in Finland. This requires ensuring sufficient production capacity that can be regulated, and hydropower is the most important form of such production. The overall generating capacity of pumped storage hydropower is on the rise in Europe and elsewhere in the world, reducing the need of fossil fuels. The pumped storage plant consists of two reservoirs that will help the plant to produce power when demand is high by running water through turbines down from the upper reservoir to the lower reservoir. When demand for electricity is low, the pumped storage plant will pump water back up into the upper reservoir.
Case published 29.5.2023
OX2 – Sale of stake in Finnish offshore wind development portfolio to Ikea’s Ingka Investments
We acted as the local legal advisor to OX2 in an arrangement whereby OX2 agreed with Ingka Investments, an investment company of the Swedish IKEA retail business, on the sale of a 49% stake in its three offshore wind projects in Finland. The three offshore wind projects, Halla, Laine and Tyrsky, are located in the Finnish Exclusive Economic Zone. The projects’ total annual production could amount to up to 29 TWh once operational, corresponding to more than one third of the electricity consumed in Finland in 2022. The aim is that the offshore wind projects start generating electricity by the turn of the 2030s. OX2 started developing the Halla and Laine offshore wind projects four years ago and was the first company to obtain exploration permits from the Finnish Government for its offshore wind projects. We have advised OX2 in the development and permitting of the offshore wind farm projects .
Case published 16.5.2023
Vattenfall – First large scale offshore wind farm in Finland
We advised Vattenfall in an arrangement whereby Vattenfall and Metsähallitus agreed on the development and construction of Finland’s first offshore wind farm in the open sea area. The offshore wind farm, with a planned nominal capacity of 1.3 GW, is planned to be constructed approximately 15 kilometres off the coast in the municipality of Korsnäs located in Ostrobothnia. The offshore wind farm is expected to be operational in the early 2030’s, and its annual production is estimated to be approximately 5,000 GWh, corresponding to the annual electricity consumption of more than two million apartment homes or the annual consumption of around 250,000 electricity heated individual houses in Finland. The estimated value of the investment is 2–3 billion euros. Finland has set the goal of being carbon neutral by 2035 and carbon negative soon after that. Metsähallitus plays a key role in achieving this goal given that they are responsible for managing the state-owned land and water areas in Finland. The offshore wind farm also supports Vattenfall’s strategy to reach its goal of enabling fossil-free living within one generation. Vattenfall is a leading European energy company. Vattenfall employs approximately 19,000 people and has operations mainly in Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and the UK. Vattenfall is owned by the Swedish state.
Case published 22.12.2022
eQ Community Properties Fund – Sale of two healthcare properties
We assisted eQ Community Properties Fund in the sale of two healthcare properties to a fund managed by Northern Horizon. The properties have a total floor area of approximately 3,500 square meters. The two properties are located in Espoo and Lahti. The Espoo asset was completed in 2018 and the Lahti asset was completed in 2023. Both assets are operated by Attendo, the leading care provider in the Nordic region.
Case published 9.5.2025

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