Get to know us and our operations
Explore our methane business and its services.
Explore the services and operations of our LNG-terminal.
Explore hydrogen development and hydrogen projects.
Read our newest news, press releases and articles.
29.06.2026
The planned hydrogen gas pipeline will run through the fields and forests of thousands of landowners, and the expansion of the natural gas network is also being explored. Aarno Lindfors, a farmer from Ohkola in southern Finland, knows what it means to have a gas pipeline running through one’s land.
Landowner Aarno Lindfors has worked with the gas transmission network operator Gasgrid before. A natural gas pipeline has run through his land since 2011. After the pipeline was installed, various maintenance measures have been carried out. For example, depressions in the road have had to be repaired.
“All I’ve had to do is let them know what the problem is. They’ve come up with a solution every time,” Lindfors says.
The pipeline runs through Lindfors’s land for a short distance of just 150 metres as part of the Mäntsälä-Siuntio pipeline’s infrastructure. In his opinion, it speaks volumes about Gasgrid’s work culture that small projects are given the same attention as large ones, and the company actually listens to landowners.
“Five years ago, a subsurface drain was cut off because of work on the gas pipeline and I told Gasgrid about it. We agreed that I would do the digging myself and send the company an invoice. It was a good solution,” Lindfors recalls.
Land Use Engineer Mikko Kaarlampi is Lindfors’s contact person at Gasgrid and someone the farmer can call whenever he needs to.
“When we first met, Mikko said that if I ever have any problems, I should contact him and get things sorted out. He has kept his word,” Lindfors says.
Kaarlampi points out that Gasgrid benefits from having landowners like Lindfors along the pipeline. If landowners don’t provide feedback, Gasgrid’s employees have to work in the dark, without any idea what is happening out in the field.
“We have hundreds of landowners just along the 90-kilometre-long Mäntsälä-Siuntio route. It’s important to keep the lines of communication open,” Kaarlampi says.
According to him, Gasgrid’s approach is clear: they listen to landowners and react to problems without delay.
“If we caused the problem, we fix it. If needed, we use outside experts to get to the root of the problem and solve it,” says Kaarlampi.
One of the common annoyances of landowners is the site traffic during construction, something that Lindfors also mentions.
“There has been some traffic, but it’s getting better already,” he says.
Small projects are given the same attention as large ones, and Gasgrid actually listens to landowners.
When building the gas network, nature values are taken into account as comprehensively as possible. Five environmental impact assessments (EIA) are currently underway for the hydrogen infrastructure, alongside ecological surveys. Some of the data on nature comes from registers and other sources, some from observations in nature.
Kaarlampi points out that EIAs are regulated by law.
“If required, we will commission a full ecological survey from an external party. An example of a delicate operation in terms of nature was when we had to pass under the Ohkolanjoki river. Lindfors owns land on each side of the river and kept a close eye on the construction work,” he says.
“The area surrounding the river has always been an important place for me and it is the area’s pride and joy. The construction of the gas pipeline under the Ohkolanjoki river was carried out really well in terms of nature,” says Lindfors.
“Irises grow there and hopefully they’ll continue to as well.”
Lindfors is happy that he was able to continue farming in peace once the pipeline was installed. He also likes that landowners can choose what to do with the site access roads. Will they be left or will the area be restored?
“Although, when they installed the pipeline in my field, they didn’t need to build separate roads because it was winter and the ground was frozen solid,” Lindfors says.
Kaarlampi knows that local farmers like site access roads.
“Usually, people want to leave them because they consider them useful,” he explains.
When a pipeline is built through a forest, the situation is different than with a field. The felled trees are typically sold to a forest company and Gasgrid takes care of the timber trade on behalf of the landowner.
“The idea is to make things as easy as possible for the landowner,” Kaarlampi points out.
And how much does the maintenance of the pipeline disrupt land use over the years? Kaarlampi explains that maintenance is essentially preventive and the condition of pipelines is inspected through pipe inspection gauges that travel inside the pipeline with the flow of gas. This method has a quirky name: pigging.
“The inspection gauge, or pig, moves through the pipeline and detects dents, thinned walls and other factors that might require measures at some point. The idea is to maintain as precise a picture of the condition of the pipeline as possible,” Kaarlampi says.
The number of gas pipeline maintenance jobs, based on the results of the pigs’ inspections and usually carried out in winter, typically come to one to ten per year.
“Maintenance isn’t required every single year, and we always contact the landowner first,” Kaarlampi says.
Aarno Lindfors is in charge of the family farm, which goes back generations. The 130-hectare farm, bequeathed long ago to the family by the King of Sweden, has large forests in addition to fields.
“I’ve farmed these fields for 40 years,” Lindfors says.
“Alongside farming and forestry work, I’ve picked up a couple of other jobs along the way, such as in tourism.”
Mikko Kaarlampi has been a “pipe man” for 16 years and has come to know the industry well.
“I’ve interacted with hundreds of landowners,” he says.
Contacting Gasgrid’s team is never very difficult.
“We have 11,000 signposts along the gas pipeline route around Finland and they show the signpost’s number and a phone number you can call. Our hotline is open 24/7,” Kaarlampi says.
Gasgrid has run a couple of information campaigns designed for landowners, and uses its social media channels and websites to share up-to-date information.
“We have publicly disclosed contact persons for each project, so there is always someone to talk to,” he promises.
According to Lindfors, Gasgrid has always responded to his inquiries professionally.
“We’ve built a strong foundation for co-operation,” he says.
Text Sami Anteroinen
Photos Tommi Mattila
Aiheet
24.06.2026
23.06.2026
16.06.2026
