Åland firm Flexens announced plans for a 300 megawatt hydrogen plant in Kokkola, a city in Central Ostrobothnia, the centre of Finland’s so-called ‘wind energy belt’. The plant will be built in the Kokkola Industrial Park, a critical area for Finland’s chemical production industry, and will use electrolysis to separate hydrogen from water. The hydrogen fuel created from the plant will offer a carbon-free alternative to fossil fuels and will also be further processed as green ammonia, which can be used as an agricultural fertiliser and as fuel for marine engines. The estimated cost of the plant is 500 million euros and is expected to be operational in 2027.
There are currently around twenty hydrogen plants in Finland: they are small, around 20-40 megawatts, and not specifically designed around clean energy. The 300 megawatt Kokkola plant therefore is a big project, even by European standards. In addition, an estimated 200 MW plant is planned for Kristiinankaupunki. Finland could produce 45% of Europe’s clean hydrogen. Read more on YLE.fi
