
16 February 2023
What place and potential does hydrogen have in Västerbotten?
On February 13, 2023, Region Västerbotten and the County Board of Västerbotten gathered stakeholders to discuss the question: What place and potential does hydrogen have in Västerbotten?
With around 70 people in attendance, it was a day filled with important conversations. Among the speakers were representatives from Storuman Municipality, North Sweden European Office, Umeå University (heal), Umeå Energi, Inlandsbanan, Zelk Energy, Oazer, Skellefteå Kraft, Luleå University of Technology, as well as from three municipalities in surrounding counties active in hydrogen development.
Storuman was the well chosen place for the day. There will be a hydrogen filling station here already at the end of this year, with the goal of providing timber transport with a fuel with zero emissions. The inland railway that passes through Storuman is planned to be equipped with hydrogen-powered trains in the long term, something that has been presented for several years. Hydrogen has been calculated to be the most cost-optimal solution as there is no contact line along the long stretch from Kristinehamn in Värmland to Gällivare in Lapland. Storuman as a railway crossing is also interesting for supplying the so-called cross line in the east-west direction Hällnäs-Storuman with hydrogen gas.
Both Skellefteå Kraft and Oazer talked about the hydrogen filling station that will be completed in Storuman as early as 2023. Skellefteå Kraft will also build a filling station in Umeå this year, and Ann-Christine Schmidt further presented plans for the production of hydrogen in Skellefteå. Henrik Sträng from Zelk Energy presented a plan for future filling stations in both Västerbotten and Norrbotten, of which the first two are to be built in Piteå and Arvidsjaur, in Norrbotten. Boh Westerlund from Oazer also talked about his knowledge of operating hydrogen filling stations in cold climates, something they have done now for five years in Umeå. From the port in Umeå, Jörgen Carlsson from Umeå Energi told about a project to prepare for hydrogen, among other things in collaboration with IVL.
Peter Enå from Inlandsbanan also presented additional ideas to transport hydrogen to industry in the north along the line, in addition to running the trains with the fuel. Cecilia Wallmark from Luleå University of Technology and the hydrogen gas initiative CH2ESS shared her knowledge of hydrogen and what is happening in hydrogen both regionally and globally. Erik Carlsson and Roger Hansson from Gällivare Näringsliv inspired with their work to support LKAB's large hydrogen plans in their municipality, Erik Lövgren from Ånge municipality in Västernorrland was on hand to share his strategic collaboration with RES, a project developer in renewable energy, to build up industrial parks with hydrogen production and use. Allan Berg from Mo i Rana in Norway also participated to tell how they support the steel industry in their region to switch to fossil-free steel.
Moderator Maria Olofsson from Uminova Innovation ensured that all participants were activated during the day. Clarified goals, increased knowledge, investments of various kinds and a wide range of other activities and needs brought the organizers with them in continued work ahead of follow-up meetings during the year.
Rickard Carstedt, regional councilor in Västerbotten, summarized that Västerbotten's niche in hydrogen already includes both electricity production and transport, as his answer to the question of the day.
Contact
Cecilia Wallmark
- Director, Centre for Hydrogen Energy Systems Sweden, CH2ESS
- 0920-492847
- cecilia.wallmark@ltu.se
- Cecilia Wallmark
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