Gasgrid will continue its work to implement the national hydrogen infrastructure and enable a cross-border hydrogen economy and, going forward, will focus on the broader-scale engineering and implementation of Finland’s national hydrogen backbone. In this context, the hydrogen infrastructure demonstration project planned for a section between Joutseno and Imatra in cooperation with Kemira Oyj and Ovako Imatra Oy Ab will end, and hydrogen development in Eastern Finland will be integrated into Gasgrid’s national backbone plan.
The realisation of a national hydrogen backbone covering the whole of Finland requires a strong active regional contribution among stakeholders significant to the building of the hydrogen economy: enterprises, municipalities and cities. Actors in the hydrogen value chain play a decisive role in creating a new foundation for Finland’s economic prosperity and energy independence, promoting the green transition in industry, harnessing a network of future hydrogen talent, and taking our country towards the national and international climate targets. Gasgrid aims to find a broad group of partners interested in advancing the hydrogen economy and national hydrogen infrastructure also in Eastern Finland. Going forward, backbone implementation will employ an operating model where regional actors and needs, and making use of regional strengths, are at the core. This way the national hydrogen backbone can be made construction-ready at the same time throughout Finland.
The Joutseno–Imatra hydrogen infrastructure project has been a demonstration project by nature. Its purpose has been to construct a pipeline outside an industrial site to transmit hydrogen generated at Kemira Oyj’s Joutseno plant to Ovako Imatra Oy Ab’s steel mill in Imatra through a pipeline operated by Gasgrid.
“The project has provided us with valuable experience that we’ll make use of in the regional engineering and development of the national hydrogen backbone. We hope that enterprises in Eastern Finland will show broad interest in the hydrogen backbone and respond to the hydrogen market survey on our website,” says Sara Kärki, Senior Vice President, Hydrogen Development, Gasgrid Finland.
More information:
Sara Kärki, Senior Vice President, Gasgrid Finland Oy and COO, Gasgrid Vetyverkot Oy, sara.karki@gasgrid.fi, +358 40 158 1722
Joonas Likander, Director, Hydrogen Business Development, Kemira Oyj, joonas.likander@kemira.com, +358 50 357 2477
Klaus Enwald, President, Ovako Imatra Oy Ab, klaus.enwald@ovako.com, 040 520 9482