Gasgrid Finland has carried out a study on the potential of hydrogen economy and hydrogen market development. The analysis shows that Finland has significant potential in the hydrogen economy of the future, both as a hydrogen producer and as an export country.
According to Gasgrid Finland’s vision for 2035, gases will enable a carbon-neutral society, for which the company provides the platform. “We have identified hydrogen as one of the fastest developing gases of the future. Hydrogen has also an important role in the energy transition and creation of a carbon-neutral society. We have presented parts of the study at various events during the fall 2021 and it has raised a lot of interest. We are now publishing the material in its entirety as requested by our stakeholders,” says Sara Kärki, Head of Strategic Analysis & RDI at Gasgrid Finland.
Gasgrid Finland actively develops the transmission platform, services and the gas market in a customer-oriented manner to promote the carbon-neutral energy and raw material system of the future. In spring 2021, we joined the European Hydrogen Backbone (EHB) initiative, which created a common vision for the development of a trans-European hydrogen network and evaluated hydrogen demand, supply and the role of transmission infrastructure in Europe. In this context, we created a vision for the development of a hydrogen network in Finland.
During the fall 2021, we carried out a study to clarify Finland’s role and opportunities in hydrogen economy to deepen the analysis done in EHB. According to the study, Finland has significant production potential for green hydrogen: in 2030, about 50 TWh/year and in 2050, up to about 150 TWh/year. Achieving this potential means utilising Finland’s great wind power potential and developing value chains through concrete projects. ” Finland has excellent fundamentals to become a leading country in hydrogen production. We have great renewable energy resources that can enable significant hydrogen production as well as offer interesting new investment and export opportunities,” Kärki comments.
For Finland’s competitiveness, it is important to develop energy transmission infrastructure in a cost optimised way – when transporting large quantities of energy over long distances, the transmission of gases is a cost-efficient option. That is why Gasgrid is also analysing the potential of hydrogen economy and the development needs it creates together with Fingrid in a research and development project “Energy transmission networks as enablers of the hydrogen economy and the clean energy system”. “Finland is well positioned to benefit from the developing hydrogen economy. We want to be actively involved in developing the energy transmission system of the future,” Kärki adds.
The study was carried out in fall 2021 in cooperation with Guidehouse and was building on EHB work. You can find the study here.
Further information: Sara Kärki, Head of Strategic Analysis & RDI, sara.karki@gasgrid.fi, tel. +358 40 158 1722