Utajärvi modernises operations for the hydrogen industry
The municipality of Utajärvi, on the banks of the Oulujoki, Finland, is anticipating more residents, jobs, attractiveness and retaining power by attracting hydrogen production and other new energy industry to the area. This is done by means of cooperation with businesses and more efficient political decision-making. Utajärvi has reformed its planning and permitting policies.
“Much of development depends on your attitude and view of the world,” says Petri Leskinen, the “living environment minister” of Utajärvi. He is just in the middle of telling a story on how buildings due for demolition are not seen as a liability but an opportunity in Utajärvi. They contain a lot of materials, such as stone, that can be reused in landscaping. "Demolishing a building will cost something anyway, so why not reuse it as much as we can?”
Leskinen’s example is one element in the strategic choice made by the municipality to take the carbon-smart route to the future. The municipality has several years of experience in climate change mitigation work as a part of the municipal HINKU network. When Mayor Anne Sormunen highlights the importance of a strict, well-defined strategy, Managing Director Vuokko Paso of Utajärvi Business Park quickly adds that the strategy is well-known locally: “More residents, more jobs, more attractiveness and more retaining power,” she lists.
Clear strategy and commitment to cooperation
There is also cooperation between municipal officials for the benefit of local businesses. “For example, when our local sawmill needed to know what permits they need to carry out the reforms they had planned, we invited all the relevant experts and the entrepreneur around the same table. The issue was sorted there and then. We try to be a one-stop shop for our entrepreneurs, so they don’t need to run around looking for information and services,” Ms Paso says.
Commitment to entrepreneurs investing in the area is in line with the municipality’s strategy to attract new residents. “We now have nearly 2,700 residents and we are working on attracting more. If we manage to create jobs, we will also manage to attract new residents,” says Mr Leskinen.
Rethinking land use and permitting
Traditional operating methods are challenging for a small municipality that is prone to agility and service-based processes. “The outdated land use planning system in no way meets the needs of market-driven investment projects,” says Mr Leskinen.
In order to cut red tape, Utajärvi carries out comprehensive dialogue between various operators to find new and sometimes surprising solutions. For example, the municipality is building a power generation grid based on wind and solar power in order to offer competitively priced electricity for a new local industrial area. The project utilises the fact that energy produced in adjacent or nearby areas is significantly cheaper for the end user. “We believe that locally produced renewable energy will attract new businesses that care about the environmental footprint of their operations,” Ms Sormunen says.
Wind, sun, biogas and hydrogen to power carbon-smart industry and transport
The new industrial area will be powered by wind and solar power, which are also utilised in the field of transport. A railway and Trunk Road 22 pass the plot. Electricity can be utilised as such, or it can be used to produce hydrogen. Ms Paso believes that the municipality will be able to pilot a hydrogen refuelling station for heavy-duty transport. “Utajärvi has great potential. The municipality is located in the middle of the country. Dozens of lorries are needed to transport the produce of the sawmill alone,” she says. In addition, a biogas refuelling station can be built.
From this perspective, the municipality of Utajärvi, which at first glance seems to be in the middle of nowhere, is actually in the middle of everything. It is in the middle of utilising waste material flows from the city of Oulu. It is in the middle of space to build hydrogen and renewable energy production units. It is in the middle of the routes of energy users. “And, as the cherry on the cake, the hydrogen pipeline that is being planned will go to Kajaani via Utajärvi,” Mayor Sormunen concludes.
