The NIHAK region is at the forefront of the clean transition
As a regional developer, NIHAK’s mission is to pave the way for investments. The work carried out manifests as significant projects that promote a clean transition and strengthen the vitality of the region.
NIHAK has long worked together with municipalities in a determined way to promote investments in their areas. The goal is to create a framework that is as well-prepared as possible and an attractive operating environment for new participants.
“Our task is to pave the way for investments. A good result can be achieved by promoting dialogue and producing up-to-date factual information to support decision-making”, NIHAK Regional Development Director Kimmo Niskanen says.
The area has significantly increased its biogas production and renewable energy generation, including wind and solar power. These investments have supported the regional economy and employed local businesses. At the same time, they have laid the foundation for the next phase of the clean transition, which will bring new technologies and industries that utilize them.
Particularly high expectations are placed on the hydrogen economy, in the development of which NIHAK has been active. The results are already starting to show: the region’s first hydrogen production project has been announced.
“Southern North Ostrobothnia is one of the most favorable regions in Finland and the whole of Europe in terms of the development of the hydrogen economy. We have strong renewable energy production, efficient electricity transmission connections, and plenty of room for new production plants”, Niskanen sums up.
NIHAK has also been a pioneer in designing hydrogen infrastructure. It is the first in Finland to carry out a preliminary study of the regional hydrogen and power line network in cooperation with Gasgrid, Fingrid, and municipalities, grid companies and actors preparing hydrogen production projects in the region. At the beginning of 2024, NIHAK issued a statement highlighting the region’s strong will to build a hydrogen network.
In addition, in June 2023 NIHAK published the first location report of regional hydrogen production in Finland. In addition, NIHAK has mapped the current and planned biogas plants, biorefineries and district heating plants in the area, that produce biogenic carbon dioxide, which can be utilized with hydrogen in the manufacture of fuels, for example.
“We are now in the pole position to take charge of energy-intensive industrial investments. The development of hydrogen infrastructure creates an opportunity for an entirely new industrial landscape to emerge in the area”, says Niskanen.
