1. Invest in Finland Success cases
First meeting at a trade fair in
Germany in 2008
Prokon’s entry to Finland has been
assisted by Vaasa Region Develop-
ment Company VASEK and Invest in
Finland. “We met people from Invest in
Finland for the first time at the Husum
Wind trade fair in Germany in 2008.
The idea for coming to Finland started
to germinate,” says Reimar von Wach-
holtz, who is responsible for Prokon’s
project development.
German wind power company
Prokon is investing in Finland
HOW DID IT ALL START?
The German bioenergy and wind
power company Prokon intends to
build about 200 wind turbines in
Finland during this decade.
Prokon started establishing its opera-
tions in Finland in 2011 when a new
law on feed-in tariffs for renewable
energy came into force. At the turn of
the year 2012–2013 the company
announced that it is recruiting about
ten people in Finland.
Next meeting in Germany in 2010;
a third party joins in
Two years later the Germans and Finns
met again at a seminar organised by
the German Chamber of Commerce
and Invest in Finland at the Husum
trade fair. VASEK also attended the
seminar.
Invitation for a date in Vaasa
in 2011
After that the cooperation progressed
fast. Soon after the Husum trade fair
in autumn 2010, the people from
Vaasa prepared a country report and
soft landing package for Prokon.
They invited Prokon to the Vaasa Wind
Exchange event held in January 2011.
The relationship strengthens:
Prokon starts operations in Vaasa
In October 2011 Prokon established
itself in Vaasa and started its actual
operations in January 2012. VASEK
offered its setup services to Prokon,
and assisted the company, for
example, in finding premises and in
personnel recruitment.
“The process with Prokon took just
over a year and was very interesting
and instructive, and proceeded

2. Invest in Finland, Finpro ry Porkkalankatu 1, FI-00180 Helsinki, Finland Telephone +358 204 695 555 Fax +358 204 695 201 www.investinfinland.fi
in Finland than in more densely popu-
lated Germany. The competitive
situation is also advantageous to
Prokon which, unlike most companies
in the sector in Finland, both builds
and operates wind turbines.
The wind energy know-how found in
the Vaasa region also played an
important role in Prokon’s decision to
locate there. Prokon’s partners include
the Finnish company The Switch Oy in
Vaasa which manufactures permanent
magnet generator (PMG) and full-
power converter (FPC) packages for
wind power and other renewable
energy applications. Infinergies
Finland Oy, Prokon’s partner based in
Kempele, is the sister company of the
German company Infinergies which is
a consultant for bioenergy projects.
logically,” says Invest in Finland’s
director Raine Vasanoja, who was
then working for VASEK.
Pull-factors
Prokon sees great opportunities in
Finland because the country is still at
an early stage in terms of wind power
investments. The company views the
Vaasa region as ideal for wind power:
there is enough wind in the region as
well as educated people with
language skills, including German.
“We have been surprised about the
positive attitude of the Vaasa region
towards wind power,” says von
Wachholtz.
According to von Wachholtz, it is
easier to find locations for wind parks
Prokon Regenerative
Energien GmbH
• German company formed in
1995, specialising in renewable
energy production.
• Plans, builds and operates wind
power parks.
• Operates about 50 wind power
parks in Germany and Poland
which have almost 300 wind
turbines.
• Also has operations in Romania,
Bulgaria and Finland.
• About 900 employees of which
15 are in Finland.
• Intends to build about 200 wind
power turbines in Finland by the
year 2020.
“Finland has a positive atmosphere for
investments and permit applications
are processed faster than in many
other countries.”
Reimar von Wachholtz, Prokon