Åland, also known as the Åland Islands, is an autonomous region of Finland, situated off the southwest coast of Finland. The ambition of this project is to develop large-scale hydrogen production on Åland, integrated with gigawatt-scale offshore wind in Åland waters for use both on Åland and in the wider European region, thereby supporting Åland’s and the EU’s objectives for energy security and decarbonisation.
Integrating offshore wind and green hydrogen production will provide Åland with a route to market for the untapped wind resources around Åland, positioning Åland as a key player in the green transition for the wider region. The exact configuration of the Åland Energy Island project will be developed in close coordination with the local government and other local stakeholders to maximize the benefits for Åland.
With Flexens as partner, the consortium is well-positioned to develop a project that considers and integrates with the local needs of Åland. In line with the Government’s ambitions and Sunnanvind project, the consortium will create substantial value for Åland with respect to both social and economic gains by securing local involvement and employment in the project and adjacent activities. Moreover, the Åland Energy Island project will contribute to Åland’s ambitions of becoming a society based entirely on green energy while considering the preservation of the islands’ onshore and marine environment.
Thomas Dalsgaard, partner at CIP, commented: “The development of the Åland Energy Island project will provide a value increasing route to market for the regional offshore wind supporting the ambitions of Åland regarding local value and job creation as well as supporting the energy transition and energy independence of the wider region. The strong complementary capabilities represented by the consortium partners enable the Åland Energy Island integrating offshore wind and hydrogen facilities to be structured and developed with the environmental, economic, and social interests of Åland in mind.”
Taia Kronborg, Chief Business Officer at Lhyfe, said: “This partnership with CIP is a great recognition of Lhyfe’s ability to develop large-scale onshore and offshore projects in the Nordic countries: it takes us to the next level. This project demonstrates how hydrogen can fit into a vast integrated renewable energy system with its capacity to store and transform renewable electricity. It’ll be a great role model for all Europe.”
Berndt Schalin from Flexens said: “Flexens was founded around the test and demonstration project ‘Smart Energy Åland’ and has in that process developed an in-depth understanding of both the Åland society and its energy system. We see an unprecedented opportunity to create and expand renewable energy related activities on Åland into a skills and knowledge based hub for the offshore based energy future in the whole Baltic Sea region.”
