Fortum begins piloting hydrogen production in Loviisa

Fortum is establishing a hydrogen production pilot plant in Loviisa. The plant will be located in the Källa area near the company's nuclear power plant.

Construction of the Kalla facility will begin in the summer of 2024, and it is scheduled to be commissioned in late 2025.

Hydrogen is produced using electrolyzers, i.e. by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using an electric current.

A filling station will be located adjacent to the plant, from which hydrogen will be transported to industrial customers.

The pilot plant is intended to be in operation for approximately two years, between 2025 and 2028.

The total value of the research and development investment related to the pilot plant is approximately 17 million euros.

The first step towards larger investments

In line with its strategy, Fortum plans to explore hydrogen in phases in small-scale projects in the Nordic countries.

“Testing hydrogen production at the Kalla pilot plant in the megawatt class provides valuable information not only from the perspective of the design and operation of potential larger plants, but also about the business opportunities of green hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives,” says Fortum's P2X business equivalent Satu Sipola.

According to Sipola, the pilot project is the first step towards possible future projects and investments.

Fortum has several other hydrogen-related studies underway, in which the company's customers and partners also participate.

“We conduct close research collaboration with companies in the forest, steel, chemical and transportation industries, among others,” Sipola says.

Text: Päivi Ikonen/ Kemiamedia.fi

Photo: Fortum. The new hydrogen production pilot plant will have a capacity of approximately two megawatts.