Beyond its H2 export to Europe, the Finnish city of Raahe has declared that it would join the Baltic Sea hydrogen pipeline.
The city is located on Finland’s northern shore and has been designated as a suitable location for industrial H2 production.
In a newly published study, the city was recognized as being suitable for industrial hydrogen generation and storage. Raahe is aiming to become a significant carbon-neutral industrial center and a hub for H2 generation in the BotH2nia hydrogen industrial zone by connecting to the Baltic Sea hydrogen pipeline. The city already has an operational SSAB steel factory. By the end of the decade, SSAB wants to become a fossil-fuel-free steel production plant through the use of hydrogen technology.
The RISE research institute collaborates with Luleå University of Technology (LUT) in Sweden, the VTT research center in Finland, and the University of Oulu in Finland, all of which have completed or are currently working on preliminary studies for the construction of an H2 gas pipeline in the northern Baltic Sea.
It would begin in Raahe and end in Luleå, before continuing on to Kiruna and Skellefte. Industries such as the steel industry want to consume enormous amounts of H2 at these numerous places in order to decarbonize their processes.
Apart from the hydrogen pipeline, H2 generation inside the Raahe region would be desirable. This includes carbon-neutral electricity generation to bolster the region’s power grid. The H2 will be manufactured sustainably using electricity provided by OX2’s Halla offshore wind project.
