News from Sweden: The project that aims to create a functional hydrogen economy in the Nordic region
Written by Andrea Bille Pettersson, Energiforsk
– This project plays a crucial role in bringing together the critical stakeholders required to drive hydrogen development in the Nordic region.
This is stated by Jatta Jussila, project coordinator for the BalticSeaH2 project, which started last summer and which Energiforsk is a part of.
A functional hydrogen economy, where Nordic industries collectively promote the production and use of hydrogen, is the vision of the recently launched BalticSeaH2 project. Energiforsk’s hydrogen program is a part of the project in Sweden.
– This project will accelerate the development of the hydrogen industry as we have gathered critical industrial and societal actors to jointly identify the challenges they face and together create a roadmap forward, says Jatta Jussila, project coordinator for BalticSeaH2.
The BalticSeaH2 project plans to establish the first large-scale interregional hydrogen valley in Europe. The project will build a cross-border hydrogen valley between Finland and Estonia that connects with local valleys in different countries around the Baltic Sea, such as Sweden.
In this hydrogen project, over 40 partners will develop, build, and demonstrate technology for the production, storage, distribution, and use of hydrogen. Together, we will generate new knowledge to accelerate the development of a hydrogen economy in Sweden and Europe. Energiforsk plays a crucial role as a knowledge link and will disseminate the project’s results and lessons to Swedish stakeholders, says Bertil Wahlund, who is responsible for the project on behalf of Energiforsk.
Hydrogen enables system integration between different energy and industrial systems and sector coupling. For example, wind power can be used for hydrogen production or as a fuel for heavy vehicles, which will be crucial for the challenging-to-electrify transport industry. With hydrogen valleys, these advantages will become even more cost-effective, says Jatta Jussila.
– On a more visionary level, the project can have a significant impact on the energy sector in northern Europe and possibly globally through the export of technology solutions and hydrogen-based products.
The project will run for five years and is currently in its startup phase. In 2024, the plans include conducting workshops with representatives from the participating countries to create a current state analysis and develop a common vision and roadmap for the project.
Facts:
As a result of hydrogen’s increasingly significant role in the energy transition, so-called hydrogen valleys have begun to emerge worldwide. A hydrogen valley is a geographic area where multiple hydrogen applications are combined into an integrated ecosystem, which becomes more cost-effective.
This article was originally published on Energiforsk website in Swedish.