Last week, Finnish authorities announced that they will be establishing a national hydrogen network. In particular, a national Committee on Economic Policy had advocated for the expansion of the state-owned Gasgrid Finland Oy division with hydrogen transmission infrastructure and the development of the related hydrogen market in Finland.
The pledge, naturally, happens in the context of the country’s climate ambitions (namely, to reach carbon-neutrality by 2035), the rising energy prices and the need for independence from Russian and fossil fuels. Hydrogen is thus regarded as a strong zero-emission contributor to these ambitions.
Finland – a major player in hydrogen trade
Gasgrid Finland Oy is responsible for ensuring the uninterrupted operation of the gas transmission in Finland. In the future, the company’s strategic interest will also be to develop transmission infrastructure for hydrogen and its gaseous derivatives and to ensure their functionality and uninterrupted operation, a press release by the Ministry of Environment reads.
For this purpose, the company will establish a subsidiary, which it will capitalize with its current financing arrangements and cash flow from operations. By doing this, on top of securing its own energy independence, the Nordic country wants to position itself as a hydrogen producer and exporter.
As the Ministry website informs, the transmission capacity of the gas system is considerably higher than that of the electricity system, and this transmission capacity could be used, for example, to transmit low-carbon gases, such as hydrogen, produced by electricity. At the same time, it would provide flexibility to the power system.
“The government still wants to promote the necessary investments in the transmission and distribution of hydrogen during this parliamentary term. The key guidelines for the hydrogen economy are included in the climate and energy strategy that will be presented to Parliament next week,” explained the Minister of Economic Affairs, Mika Lintilä.
