Energiequelle has received planning approval for its Oulu Green Hydrogen Park in northern Finland, marking a step forward in the country’s efforts to develop a hydrogen-based energy infrastructure.
The initial phase of the project includes the construction of a hydrogen production facility with a capacity of up to 5 megawatts, along with a refuelling station designed to serve buses and heavy-duty commercial vehicles. Future phases could see capacity expanded significantly, contingent on market conditions and infrastructure readiness.
“If the right market conditions are met, we expect the first phase to be ready by 2028,” said Karl Schultheis, Head of New Business Development at Energiequelle Finland. “However, this is a major industrial project and investment, so the planning reservation we have now received is only one of the first steps towards making concrete investment decisions.”
The project, located on a greenfield site in the city of Oulu, could ultimately scale to a production capacity of 100–500MW in its third phase. A potential expansion to export hydrogen via a future pipeline and through the Port of Oulu is also under consideration.
Energiequelle’s development is part of a broader industrial strategy by the City of Oulu, which has allocated space for three hydrogen production and processing facilities within the same industrial zone. The combined output potential of these projects could reach 1500MW.
“We believe that Oulu’s strategy of bundling several hydrogen production operators in the same area is the right one, as it supports the development of hydrogen transmission infrastructure in the region,” said Nils Borstelmann, Managing Director of Energiequelle Finland. “This is exactly the kind of predictable investment environment and confidence-building policies we hope to see from local, national and European decision-makers.”
The Oulu Green Hydrogen Park marks Energiequelle’s first public hydrogen initiative in Finland. The company previously launched the HY.City.Bremerhaven project in Germany, which was inaugurated earlier this year by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
The Finnish state-owned Gasgrid Finland is working to build a cross-border hydrogen transport network, with EU-backed initiatives aimed at connecting Finland to neighbouring Baltic and Central European markets. These include the Nordic-Baltic Hydrogen Corridor, the Nordic Hydrogen Route, and the Baltic Sea Hydrogen Collector.
The success of Energiequelle’s project and similar developments may hinge on the timely rollout of this infrastructure and the evolving demand for hydrogen across the region.
