Local impacts of the hydrogen transition in Pori
December 10th, 2024
JustH2Transit participated in the two-day seminar "Uuden energian aika?" in Pori, 3-4 December 2024, which brought together Finnish and international experts to discuss the societal impacts of the energy transition and the future hydrogen economy. During the seminar, the first Hydrogen Impact Forum was also organised to discuss the local impacts of hydrogen projects on the west coast of Finland.
Industrialists and the city at the heart of development
On the first day of the seminar, the City of Pori organised an excursion to the industrial and cultural landscape of Meri-Pori to learn about the actors in the area, the history of the local industry and future development and investment plans. Visits included the Mäntyluoto and Tahkoluoto harbours, the Uniluoto residential area, the Yyteri recreation hotel and visitor centre, the Kaanaa industrial area and John Englund’s photo exhibition at the Satakunta Museum.
The visits highlighted the importance of industrialists as major local employers over many generations and the responsibility of the city for the development of the area. The excursion day ended with a screening of the documentary film Atom's Return (2015) on the local impact of the construction of the Olkiluoto 3 nuclear power plant at the Pori City Hall. After the screening, the participants were able to discuss with the film's director, Mika Taanila, the ideas and questions raised by the film, including the changing attitudes towards energy projects and their impacts.
The second day of the seminar was held at the University Centre in Pori, where local, national and international experts spoke on different aspects of the energy transition and explored these themes in depth through intensive workshop work. Lauri Inna, Mayor of Pori, stressed the city's responsibility towards its residents to choose the right investments and companies to ensure good cooperation and maximum positive local impact from the development​
Research pushes the boundaries of thinking ​
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Paavo Järvensivu, PhD in Economics and Associate Professor of Environmental and Social Policy, stressed the importance of science-driven planning and decisive coordination of industrial transition, while Filip Rozborski, PhD researcher at Maastricht University, presented his research on the differences between countries' plans for the future of the hydrogen transition. Bregje van Veelen from Lund University spoke about the impact of the green transition on local communities and how memories, professional identity and pride, status, social relations, etc. are linked to resistance to change. Tiit Oidjärv, Head of Spatial Planning Policy at the Estonian Ministry of Regional Planning and Agriculture, closed the first part of the session with a presentation on the interaction between national objectives and local practices.
Minna Näsman, Interaction Manager at JustH2Transit, spoke about redeeming expectations for hydrogen and what can be learned from the development of wind power in Finland with regard to hydrogen. Matti Luhtanen, Project Manager at Prizztech, described the potential of Satakunta in developing the hydrogen economy: the region has renewable energy production, infrastructure for hydrogen storage and distribution, labour and skills, and an ecosystem that utilises end products and side streams and provides commodities.
In his presentation, Professor of Sustainable Design Ä°dil Gaziulusoy opened up the different levels of sustainable design from materials to the socio-techno-ecological system. Aleksi Lohtaja, PhD, gave the final expert presentation, focusing on the role of architecture in the new era of finite energy.
Reconciling the interests of different stakeholders
The afternoon programme included JustH2Transit's first Hydrogen Impact Forum, where stakeholders from different perspectives had the opportunity to discuss the local impacts of hydrogen projects. The City of Pori, Satakuntaliitto, Pori Energia Sähköverkot, Prizztech, Green North Energy, the Pori Ornithological Society and the Kolpanlahti Property Owners Association were represented. Sustainable transition, equity issues and resilience were discussed, and all parties were able to bring their own perspectives and experiences on the opportunities and challenges of the west coast of Finland in relation to the hydrogen transition. Seminar participants who followed the Hydrogen Impact Forum were also able to contribute with their questions to the discussion.
The Hydrogen Impact Forum underlined the need for cooperation and coordination of interests of different actors already in the early stages of projects. The development of the region and projects must reconcile green energy transition and climate issues, biodiversity and animal welfare, the activities of different actors and the exploitation of their synergies, cultural aspects and other local impacts. Cooperation is therefore needed at global, national, inter-sectoral and intra-sectoral levels, for example between companies operating in the area. ​
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Finding good project options together
Different actors are now involved in project development better than in the beginning of the millennium, the forum stated. However, social impacts could be even better taken into account if project actors were more active than is required in the EIA process. Trust between the parties was felt to be challenged particularly by the constant change of project actors or the failure to keep promises, for example on participation.
The discussion also addressed the question of who is responsible for mapping the different project options and their impacts. A consensus was also reached, with all discussants stating that they were in favour of green, emission-free energy, as long as it was implemented in a sustainable way.
The seminar ended with an inspiring panel discussion where the experts who spoke discussed different aspects of the hydrogen transition and brought together the themes of the seminar. JustH2Transit thanks you for a rewarding collaboration towards a fair, climate-friendly, justifiable and sustainable hydrogen transition!
For more information about the Uuden energian aika? seminar and its speakers, please visit: https://uudenenergianaika.fi
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