Sunfire Successfully Installs First Industrial-Scale Electrolysis Plant In Finland

Finland's first industrial-scale electrolysis plant has been installed in Harjavalta, one year after the groundbreaking ceremony. The project partners expect production of green hydrogen in the second half of the year. A purchase agreement has already been signed.

The electrolysis plant in Harjavalta represents a lighthouse hydrogen project in Europe. With the upcoming commissioning of Sunfire's 20 MW pressurized alkaline electrolyzer, the project developer P2X Solutions will set a milestone for the ramp-up of the green hydrogen market in Finland.

Herkko Plit, CEO – P2X Solutions says: "This project has many intermediate milestones when approaching opening the Finnish green hydrogen economy, and inevitably finishing the installation of the electrolyzer is one important step towards the completion of the whole project.”

The green hydrogen will be used for various applications in the chemical industry. For this purpose, the German electrolyzer company Sunfire has also engineered the pressurized alkaline plant for methanization, producing renewable synthetic methane from carbon dioxide and green hydrogen.

In November last year, P2X Solutions has signed an offtake agreement with Danisco Sweeteners, a subsidiary of US-based International Flavors & Fragrances Inc.¹⁾ Danisco Sweeteners will use green hydrogen at its plant in Kotka, Finland, to reduce CO₂ emissions of the xylitol production for the food industry.

Now that Sunfire has successfully completed the installation work of the pressurized alkaline electrolyzer, preparations are underway to commission the plant in the coming months. First green hydrogen production at the Harjavalta plant is expected in in the second half of the year. At full capacity, Finland's first large-scale electrolyzer will produce up to 400 kg of green hydrogen per hour using renewable energy from wind turbines.

Sunfire CEO Nils Aldag points out: "Green hydrogen will play a crucial role in the transformation of the chemical sector. We feel privileged to be part of this pioneering project with P2X Solutions, where our pressurized alkaline electrolyzer will be operated on an industrial scale. I am especially pleased that our ’Made in Europe’ electrolysis technology will contribute to Finnish energy history. We need more lighthouse projects like this, especially in Europe."

The Finnish government supports the project: the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment and the Finnish Climate Fund are providing a total of EUR 36 million. P2X Solutions is planning a total investment of about EUR 70 million.

¹⁾ Source: https://p2x.fi/en/p2x-solutions-and-danisco-sweeteners-signed-a-contract-on-the-delivery-of-green-hydrogen/