Finnish energy company Helen has picked Sweco as engineering, procurement, and construction management (EPCM) partner to build Helsinki’s first green hydrogen plant, called the 3H2 Helsinki Hydrogen Hub.
Helen aims to supply the clean fuel to the country’s heavy-duty transport sector, with production scheduled to start in 2026.
The hub will have a hydrogen filling station for vehicles, while Helen will also ship containerised hydrogen to customers.
Helen aims to start producing hydrogen in 2026, and to open the filling station in 2027.
Sweco said the pilot plant will produce around three megawatts worth of energy a year.
Excess heat from production will be used in Helen’s district heating network in the nearby Vuosaari Harbour district, which will increase the plant’s energy efficiency to over 90%.
Helen says the project will prevent 3,700 tonnes of CO2 emissions entering the atmosphere a year by replacing fossil road fuels and using waste heat.
Pennies for the environment
The Finnish government granted the project €8.25m from its fund for large-scale, new-energy demonstration projects.
Helen will also use €292,500 from its customer-supplied “Environmental Penny fund” to buy shipping containers for the fuel.
In the Penny fund scheme, customers pay an extra €1.71 a month, which Helen matches to invest in more green energy production capacity.
EU hydrogen champion
The Finnish government wants at least 10% of all green hydrogen used in the EU to come from Finland by 2030.
The country aims to be carbon neutral by 2035.
Sweco will plan the plant’s regional infrastructure, including architectural, structural engineering and plant design.
It will also provide project management, procurement and site management.
The plant’s electrolyser and related equipment are designed, supplied, and installed by a different partner.
“The 3H2 project is the first of its kind in the world and combines four different sectors: electricity, transport, heating and hydrogen, and the flexibility between them,” said Helen vice president Sari Mannonen.
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