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The plant has a projected capacity of 9.2 megawatts, of which 5.4 megawatts is operational after the completion of the first stage. The length of the cooling network is approximately 1.3 kilometers, Fortum said.

At present the plant situated in the Aardla suburb of Tartu cools the Lounakeskus large shopping center.

Fortum has invested altogether 9 mln euros in district cooling in Tartu.

The CEO of Fortum Tartu, Margo Kulaots, told Tartu Postimees in May that the new plant uses 50% less electricity and produces 52 percent less greenhouse gases than local electric powered cooling equipment.

"We have other potential clients too in this region and there are new development projects in the pipeline that could use remote cooling in the future," Kulaots said.

Fortum opened its first district cooling plant in Tartu on Turu Street in the city center on May 27 last year. The 13 megawatt plant and a 1.6 kilometer remote cooling network in the city center cost 5.7 mln euros to build.

At present the customers of Fortum's first district cooling plant are the Kvartal shopping center and a hotel on Ulikooli Street, and a connection has been built to the University of Tartu Library that is currently undergoing reconstruction. Since opening, the plant has produced 1.6 gigawatt-hours of cooling.

Fortum is mulling a third cooling plant in Tartu now, to be built in the Maarjamoisa area.