Gasgrid’s plan for the upcoming H₂ infrastructure route has now progressed to the environmental impact assessment phase. Main environmental impact assessment partners have also been selected.

The route plan has been specified in the latest phase by discussing with the municipalities in the infrastructure area and by listening to feedback from operators interested in using the infrastructure. Industrial operators can still submit their opinions to Gasgrid Finland by responding to a market consultation, which will process information confidentially.

Environmental impact assessment procedures have begun for the first phase of the transmission infrastructure, which covers the route from Tornio to Porvoo.

Gasgrid’s environmental impact assessment (EIA) partners. The H₂ infrastructure route has been divided into five EIA regions and assessment will proceed in all of them simultaneously. Each region has a corresponding partner as follows:

• Sea Lapland – Ramboll Finland Oy
• North Ostrobothnia – AFRY Finland Oy
• Western Finland – FCG Rakennettu Ympäristö Oy
• Southwestern Finland – AFRY Finland Oy
• Southern Finland – Sweco Finland Oy.

During the EIA procedures, information will be collected on the nature values of the route and other sites to be taken into account, the project’s impacts on the environment will be investigated, and feedback on the project collected.

The EIA procedure is the first step in the development of project licensing, and the collection of information on the environment and the consultation of stakeholders’ perspectives play an essential role.

The EIA procedure will examine different route options and a wider study area than that of the pipeline to be built. Final route decisions will be made on the basis of the results of the EIA, discussions with landowners and other relevant parties, and further technical design.

This will be followed by applications for the permits required for the project.

Public events related to the EIA procedures and other discussions related to the project will be held extensively during the coming autumn and winter. We will provide details about these later.

Market consultation for industrial operators. The route is based partly on a confidential H₂ market consultation, which has been open since 2023 and which we continue to encourage industrial operators to respond to.

Gasgrid is currently carrying out connection reviews for the operators along the planned H₂ backbone. When operators add information about their own projects to the market consultation, they will also be in time to be included in these reviews.