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Sustainability is a shared responsibility at Gasgrid

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.

Minna Tolonen (right) and Jari-Pekka Laihonen (middle) are responsible for training new employees in sustainability issues and policies. Kaisa Manninen (left) is in charge of biodiversity-related topics, which are a specific focal area.

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.

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.

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.

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

Gasgrid is a multi-gas company of the future providing energy transmission system solutions to promote clean transition and an energy-efficient society. We strengthen Finland’s economic growth, security of supply, and energy independence, and support the balancing power required for emission-free electricity production. Through our international infrastructure projects, we are preparing to meet the demand for clean gas energy in Europe as well. Gasgrid Group’s business operations consist of gas operations, LNG terminal operations, hydrogen development, and project execution. More information: gasgrid.fi/en

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Finland’s competitiveness and sustainable development rely on an energy system – one that covers energy production, procurement, distribution, storage and use – that operates reliably in all circumstances and is based more firmly than ever on Finnish renewable energy sources. This article describes the central role that the methane network plays in the energy market transition.

According to Gasgrid’s vision, renewable gases – biogas, e-methane, green hydrogen – and captured carbon dioxide are key enablers of a carbon-neutral society. Our task is to facilitate their growth by creating a gas transmission platform that functions as an integral component of the entire energy system.

The current transmission infrastructure for methane and the future one for hydrogen, including terminals, form a flexible gas transmission system that enables diverse energy streams from production to consumption.

The methane market is developing rapidly, opening up new opportunities for market participants and simultaneously supporting current customers’ capabilities to utilise gas predictably and cost-effectively. As a whole, this development allows us to confidently plan and build production processes that rely on gas.

Renewable methane gas will replace fossil natural gas, and the global renewable methane market is growing

Methane users in Finland include electricity and heat production, industries, and heavy maritime and road transport, for example. Its benefits are versatility, a high degree of availability, and existing transmission infrastructure and utilisation equipment.

The current challenge, however, is that the majority of methane is fossil natural gas, which restricts its use and raises doubts about the market’s viability. Confidence in natural gas has been further undermined by the cessation of pipeline transmissions due to Russia’s war of aggression and the price spikes during the resulting energy crisis. The Hormuz Strait crisis in the Middle East also highlights the current market’s uncertainties. At the same time, the crisis underscores the importance of increasing domestic production of renewable gas, which would buffer our market and society against a volatile global operating environment.

Solutions to meet the demand for renewable gases are now on the horizon. Several renewable biogas and e-methane production projects to be connected to the gas transmission network are being planned in Finland, with a total output of some 7 terawatt hours per year, which corresponds to approximately half of the current total consumption. Meanwhile, the global market for renewable methane is growing, which increases both demand and availability through LNG terminals, for example. In 2025, Finland used an estimated 1.5 terawatt hours of domestic and imported biogas.

Methane-fuelled generation solutions offer reliable electricity production

The rapid growth in renewable weather-dependent electricity production significantly increases balancing power, standby power, and energy storage needs. Methane-fuelled, decentralised electricity generation solutions currently offer an efficient, economical, and reliable means of generating electricity precisely when wind and solar power production are not enough. Gas power solutions curb sudden electricity price spikes, causing hundreds of millions of euros in additional costs for consumers and industry. This growing need is illustrated clearly by our role in preparing significant additional capacity for gas-fuelled electricity production.

The methane system and its transmission services play a vital role in the future of gases. Alongside stable industrial use, the balancing power and standby power needs of electricity production increase the demand for transmission solutions. Developing a methane market based on Finnish renewable gases is a strategic investment in an energy self-sufficient, clean and energy secure Finland, creating a sustainable foundation for economic development.

Janne Grönlund
Senior Vice President, Gas Business
Gasgrid

Did you know?

Biogas, e-methane, and natural gas are all chemically the same substance – methane, which is made up of hydrogen and carbon. The molecule is identical in each case (CH₄), allowing it to be transported in the same transmission network. The renewable origins of methane are guaranteed through guarantees of origin and sustainability certifications. Gasgrid enables this renewable gas market through the transmission network and services.

Gasgrid is a multi-gas company of the future providing energy transmission system solutions to promote clean transition and an energy-efficient society. We strengthen Finland’s economic growth, security of supply, and energy independence, and support the balancing power required for emission-free electricity production. Through our international infrastructure projects, we are preparing to meet the demand for clean gas energy in Europe as well. Gasgrid Group’s business operations consist of gas operations, LNG terminal operations, hydrogen development, and project execution. More information: gasgrid.fi/en

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