Finland is planning a hydrogen network for a cleaner, more self-sufficient future
HELSINKI (Reuters) – On Wednesday, Finland announced plans to build a hydrogen transmission network that will help reduce CO2 emissions and strengthen long-term security of energy supply after it decided to stop using Russian gas.
Minister of Finance Annika Saarikko said that the state-owned Gasgrid Finland, which has so far processed mainly natural gas from Russia, will build the network in the coming years.
Finland announced it would stop using Russian gas after the attack on neighboring Ukraine, and Moscow cut off supplies when Helsinki refused to pay in rubles.
Finland has several alternative energy sources, including nuclear power, but it is interested in expanding the use of hydrogen, which can help reduce CO2 emissions if it is produced with renewable electricity.
Gasgrid Finland will establish a subsidiary that will develop the hydrogen transmission network first in Finland and later abroad, Saarikko said, adding that hydrogen production would be left to private companies.
He said the years-long network would consist of three “hydrogen valleys”, two of which are located on the west coast close to existing wind power infrastructure and one in southeastern Finland.
The government did not disclose the cost of the network, as it would initially be financed from Gasgrid’s current capital.
Construction will begin in southeastern Finland near the Russian border with a 15-kilometer-long hydrogen pipeline from the chemical manufacturer Kemira’s Joutseno fertilizer plant to the steel manufacturer Ovako’s Imatra plant, Saarikko said.
“Also, from a security of supply perspective, we will ensure that these infrastructure networks, which are considered important strategic state assets, remain in our own hands, as are natural gas and electricity,” he said.
(Reported by Anne Kauranen; Edited by Terje Solsvik and Mark Potter)