Hydrogen economy in South Ostrobothnia

The hydrogen economy is seen to play a key role in the energy transition and the fight against climate change. In South Ostrobothnia, the potential for producing clean hydrogen based on renewable energy has been identified. However, there is a lack of understanding of how the benefits of hydrogen production remain in the region, what kind of value chains the opportunities are linked to, and what kind of development actions and investments it requires.

The overall aim of the project is to produce new information on the opportunities offered by the hydrogen economy and related bottlenecks in South Ostrobothnia. The project also aims to create preconditions for the development of the hydrogen economy and the hydrogen ecosystem and the initiation of development activities in the region.

The objective of the project will be pursued through four sub-objectives. The first sub-objective is to produce a current state analysis of hydrogen in South Ostrobothnia, where a) key and potential regional actors and stakeholders are identified, b) ongoing hydrogen-related initiatives and plans are identified, and 3) the needs related to the hydrogen economy (e.g. infrastructure, investment and competence needs) are mapped. The second sub-objective is the design of a clean hydrogen ecosystem, which focuses on mapping the key actors and stakeholders in the ecosystem and the ecosystem visualization, value creation and operation planning for the ecosystem as well as designing the ecosystem. The third sub-objective is hydrogen value chain analysis, which focuses on identifying and analysing the potential hydrogen value chain in a regional context, carrying out related techno-economic analysis and identifying regional skills and training gaps related to the implementation of the value chain and the development of the hydrogen economy. The fourth sub-objective is to draw up an action plan to promote the development of the hydrogen economy in South Ostrobothnia.

The project will produce the following results:

• Current state analysis related to the hydrogen economy, ongoing developments and future plans in South Ostrobothnia.
• Design of the clean hydrogen ecosystem in South Ostrobothnia.
• Results from value chain analysis and techno-economic analysis, including identification of regional capacities and training needs for the development of a clean hydrogen economy in the region.
• Action plan to promote the development of the hydrogen economy in South Ostrobothnia.

The project is expected to have the following long-term impacts:

• Improved profile and visibility of the South Ostrobothnia region related to the clean hydrogen ecosystem and hydrogen initiatives
• Readiness for hydrogen production and use in the region increases
• Awareness of clean hydrogen and the opportunities it brings grows, and the role of hydrogen in the educational content of educational institutions in the region increases
• The number of actors involved in the hydrogen ecosystem and value chain grows
• The number of clean hydrogen projects based on public and private funding increases in the region