Mitigating climate change, reliable gas transmission, and safety are key sustainability themes for the gas transmission company Gasgrid. The company develops sustainability work through extensive internal and external co-operation and with the help of AI.
For Gasgrid, as the gas transmission system operator with system responsibility, sustainability is at the core of its operations. The company contributes to environmental responsibility by promoting the transmission of renewable gases in the gas network, whether it be hydrogen, biogas or e-methane.
Gasgrid’s goal is to enable a carbon-neutral society through gases. In addition, Gasgrid actively reduces the transmission network’s emissions, with a reduction in emissions of 13 per cent in 2025. The entire organisation is committed to the ambitious sustainability goals. Each new employee is provided with an orientation into the sustainability programme and, at the same time, assigned a role in the sustainability work.
“Every single person contributes to sustainability,” points out Gasgrid’s Head of Sustainability Minna Tolonen.
Assessing impacts from many angles
In addition to Tolonen, the team behind Gasgrid’s sustainability work includes Quality Manager Jari-Pekka Laihonen, Sustainability Specialist Kaisa Manninen, the HSEQ coordinator who works with safety and environmental issues, and the sustainability coordinator.
“The team’s job is to boldly and actively lead the implementation of sustainability,” Manninen explains.
Sustainability work considers the economic, social, and environmental impacts of operations, and the work is integrated into the strategy implementation.
The practical work is guided by the sustainability forum, which includes representatives from all of the Group’s business and support functions.
Focus on fully reliable gas transmission and safety
Sustainability involves good governance, environmental responsibility, and social responsibility. All of these are part of Gasgrid’s sustainability programme. Promoting the clean transition has been defined as a near-term goal in Gasgrid’s strategy. The key sustainability goals are related to the environment, as well as the reliability of gas transmission and safety.
“Our objective is zero work-related injuries among our employees and contract partners, as well as one hundred per cent reliable gas transmission. These themes have always been important to us, and we have not had a single unplanned supply interruption since the start of our operations. We work on these issues every day,” Tolonen says.
Reducing methane emissions is the goal
Gasgrid pays special attention to methane emissions and they result mainly from the gas network’s maintenance and modification work.
“Gasgrid’s operations are steered by the EU’s new methane regulation, which provides a framework for methane gas measurements, emission verification, and maintenance measures. We always aim to minimise methane emissions through operational means by co-operating with the gas users utilising the gas in their processes,” Tolonen explains.
On top of the national climate targets, Gasgrid naturally takes into account EU directives and regulations: sustainability, energy efficiency, and corporate sustainability directives, in addition to waste legislation and the EU methane regulation.
Biodiversity is part of construction
Gasgrid wants to develop how biodiversity, in particular, is taken into account in designing the gas transmission infrastructure. Biodiversity is carefully incorporated into the construction of the planned hydrogen infrastructure.
“The sustainability of the operations is evident in the planning and construction of the hydrogen transmission route, where we integrate information produced in environmental impact assessment programmes. We want to be respectful in our approach to nature,” Kaisa Manninen says.
Environmental impact assessments are a statutory requirement aimed at identifying valuable natural areas and species in need of protection.
“When we plan the route, we also engage in dialogue with regional authorities and consult with landowners,” Manninen adds.
The goal is to account for stakeholder expectations as well as possible.
Bot-assisted risk management
The sustainability team has developed an AI tool to help in their sustainability work. The company’s own Risk Bot can analyse various risks and help avoid overlapping work.
“Risk Bot is an in-house bot based on Microsoft’s Copilot AI assistant,” Jari-Pekka Laihonen says.
The sustainability team also uses AI in examining EU directives and in sustainability reporting for which there are hundreds of data points that need reviewing. With AI, they can easily be extracted from the company’s material.
“Of course, any material created using AI is reviewed by people as well,” Tolonen reminds.
Effectiveness is assessed regularly
The realisation of the sustainability programme is monitored monthly, and it is also assessed in the longer term: Do emissions comply with permits? Have commitments been met?
At the level of the entire Group, sustainability is guided by the company’s Board of Directors, Audit Committee, and of course the Finnish state as the owner. At the highest level, the implementation of measures is monitored on a quarterly basis.
Starting in 2025, the company drew up its first Sustainability Report in line with the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive.
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The members of Gasgrid’s sustainability team
Minna Tolonen
M.Sc. (Tech.), Head of Sustainability
“The best thing about my job is making a difference by developing the energy system to achieve a carbon-neutral society. The second-best thing is that Gasgrid’s personnel are first rate.”
Motto: Treat others how you would want to be treated.
Hobbies: Reading (especially detective novels), arts and crafts, and sports.
Jari-Pekka Laihonen
Bachelor of Engineering (BEng), Information Technology, Quality Manager
“The best part of my job is learning new things and delivering results.”
Motto: Every step is an opportunity.
Hobbies: Running, camping, boating and building things.
Kaisa Manninen
D.Sc. (Tech.), Sustainability Specialist
“The best thing about my job is the diverse, interesting and meaningful work.”
Motto: Change, leave or accept.
Hobbies: Dog agility and going to the gym.
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Read more about sustainability
The 2025 Annual Report (PDF) describes Gasgrid’s sustainability themes in brief. The report also includes a comprehensive Sustainability Report.
Gasgrid supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals and celebrates the anniversary of the goals
Text: translated from Saga Wiklund’s text, Photos: Miika Kainu