Fortum will begin the construction of a hydrogen production pilot plant in Finland this summer (2024), ahead of commissioning in late 2025.
The €17m ($18.3m) project will have a capacity of 2MW from the main grid, using local household water for electrolysis. The plant will be located in the Källa region near Fortum’s Loviisa nuclear power plant.
Fortum’s research and development funds will finance the Kalla test centre’s development. In addition, a refuelling station will be built that is connected to the plant to ensure the delivery of hydrogen to industrial customers.
H2 View understands the test centre is expected to be in operation for around two years between 2025 and 2028. In alignment with Fortum’s strategy, the company will explore hydrogen via small-scale projects in the Nordics.
“Testing hydrogen production at the Kalla test centre on a megawatt-scale will provide valuable information,” explained Satu Sipola, Vice-President of Power-to-X at Fortum. “Not only in terms of the design and operation of potential larger plants, but also of the business opportunities provided by green hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives.”
“The pilot project is the first step towards possible future projects and investments. In addition to the test centre, we also have other hydrogen-related studies underway that involve customers and partners from various industries,” added Sipola.
Sipola claimed that Fortum will now engage in active research cooperation with companies in the transport sector and forest, steel and chemical industries.
Under its Hydrogen Strategy, Finland targets 10% of the EU’s clean hydrogen production to meet the aim of ten million tonnes of hydrogen by 2030 as part of the REPowerEU plan. Finland plans to do this through domestic production and potentially exports.
Read more:REPowerEU: €34-49bn needed for hydrogen infrastructure
Just last month (April), Finnish energy supplier Helen made the final investment decision (FID) on its 3MW green hydrogen production plant in Helsinki.
It’s anticipated to open in 2026, designed to meet the demand for heavy transport and local customers that want to decarbonise their operations. This project was granted €8.25m ($8.8m) of investment aid from Finland’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.
Read more:Update: Finnish energy firm takes FID on 3MW green hydrogen plant
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