In a significant stride towards Finland’s green hydrogen ambitions, Energiequelle has secured planning consent for its Oulu Green Hydrogen Park project. This development is not just a win for the company, but a testament to Finland’s growing commitment to hydrogen as a key player in its energy transition. The project, with its phased approach, offers a roadmap that could shape the future of the hydrogen sector in the region.
The first phase of the Oulu Green Hydrogen Park will see the construction of a 5MW hydrogen production plant and a refuelling station for buses and heavy commercial vehicles. This is a modest start, but it’s a crucial one. It allows Energiequelle to test the waters, so to speak, and gather data that will be invaluable for the subsequent phases. The second phase, which could see capacity increase to 10-50MW, will also explore the possibility of hydrogen exports via a planned pipeline and the port of Oulu. This is where things start to get interesting. If this phase goes as planned, it could position Oulu as a significant player in the European hydrogen market.
The third phase is where the project’s ambition becomes truly apparent. With a potential capacity increase of 100-500MW, it could make Oulu a major hydrogen hub. But this phase is highly dependent on market conditions and infrastructure availability. This is a challenge, but also an opportunity. It forces stakeholders to engage in meaningful dialogue about the future of the hydrogen sector. It’s a call to action for local, national, and European decision-makers to create a predictable investment environment and confidence-building policies.
Karl Schultheis, Head of New Business Development at Energiequelle Finland, acknowledges the scale of the project. “This is a major industrial project and investment,” he said. “The planning reservation we have now received is only one of the first steps towards making concrete investment decisions.” This is a reminder that while planning consent is a significant milestone, it’s just the beginning. The real work lies ahead.
The City of Oulu’s strategy of bundling several hydrogen production operators in the same area is a smart one. It supports the development of hydrogen transmission infrastructure in the region and sends a clear message to energy-intensive industries. Nils Borstelmann, Managing Director of Energiequelle Finland, echoed this sentiment. “This is exactly the kind of predictable investment environment and confidence-building policies we hope to see,” he said.
The Oulu Green Hydrogen Park project is Energiequelle’s first public hydrogen project in Finland. But it’s not the company’s first rodeo. In February, the group unveiled the HY.City.Bremerhaven project in Germany, which was inaugurated by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. This experience will undoubtedly inform the Oulu project.
Meanwhile, Gasgrid Finland is planning to establish a hydrogen transport infrastructure to connect Finland and Europe. With three hydrogen transport infrastructure projects in the Baltic Sea area awarded financial support from the European Union, the stage is set for a significant development in the region’s hydrogen sector. The Nordic-Baltic Hydrogen Corridor, the Nordic Hydrogen Route, and the Baltic Sea Hydrogen Collector projects are all developing hydrogen infrastructure that could connect Finnish, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, German, Swedish, and Central European markets. This is a complex web of infrastructure, but it’s a testament to the region’s ambition.
The Oulu Green Hydrogen Park project is a significant development in Finland’s hydrogen sector. It’s a project that could shape the future of the sector, not just in Finland, but in the wider region. It’s a project that challenges norms, sparks debate, and offers a roadmap for the future. It’s a project that’s worth watching.
