BotH₂nia is putting the Gulf of Bothnia on Europe’s hydrogen map
The new cooperation network BotH₂nia has been formed to accelerate the development of the hydrogen economy around the Gulf of Bothnia. Our aim is to create a common brand for hydrogen economy projects in the region and in Finland that all partners can refer to in their negotiations and marketing, both nationally and in Europe. The brand is built on effective information flows and cooperation.
Hycamite TCD Technologies, a company based in Central Ostrobothnia, is part of the network. It opened a new testing and production facility for hydrogen and pure carbon in Kokkola this spring. Other partners in the project include the town of Kokkola and the University of Oulu, which is part of the Kokkola University Consortium Chydenius.
Investments worth tens of billions of euros are currently being planned in Europe in the hydrogen economy. Numerous projects in Finland and Sweden have identified the Gulf of Bothnia as a promising region for increasing the production, transport, storage and usage of hydrogen . However, none of the Finnish projects on its own is on a scale to attract investors in central Europe.
The strengths of the Gulf of Bothnia and Finland include good wind conditions, hydro and nuclear power as a backup, functioning electricity transmission networks, pure water and, by European standards, competitive electricity prices. Moreover, there is already interest along the Gulf of Bothnia in using pure hydrogen in industrial processes. In the same region there is also good potential for capturing greenhouse gas-neutral carbon dioxide from point sources for making synthetic fuel. There are upwards of 15 industrial ports in the region and reliable zoning.
The practical work in Finland will start in the form of collaboration between the national hydrogen cluster and the open Green Electrification ecosystem led by CLIC Innovation. Key areas of the ecosystem include production of clean hydrogen and logistics, value chains connecting different sectors, system-level efficiency and support for first-mover companies. The ecosystem also includes the development of P2X2P and CCU technologies. P2X2P (Power-to-X-to-Power) means converting electricity into another form of energy – for example hydrogen – and if necessary back into electricity. CCU stands for Carbon Capture and Utilization .
More information: www.both2nia.com
Twitter: @both2nia
