SuomiAreena 2025: Building consensus with conflicting interests is essential to ensure just hydrogen transition
SuomiAreena 2025 once again brought together decision-makers, experts, companies, and citizens to discuss current social issues. Akordi’s Business Development Director Minna Näsman and Communications Specialist Taika Tikkanen represented the JustH2Transit project, which focuses on the fairness of the green hydrogen transition. Akordi acts as the project’s interaction manager. Reconciling the interests of different parties, fairness, and local acceptance were key topics in our discussions.
We adressed the fairness of the hydrogen transition
The JUST ENERGY research program (funded by The Strategic Research Council), which includes our JustH2Transit project, organized a discussion at SuomiAreena on Tuesday, June 24. The discussion focused on the fairness of the energy transition and considered how fairness and reasonableness extend from global issues to the everyday lives of individual citizens.
The discussion was summarized by saying that the benefits and disadvantages must be distributed evenly across regions, responsibility must not be left to citizens, and information sharing plays a key role if and when the energy transition is to be achieved fairly. You can read more about the panel discussion in the blog post and watch the recording of the discussion here (in Finnish).
The current challenges of the hydrogen economy were also addressed from the perspective of social acceptance and fairness by Minna Näsman and Essi Laitinen (VTT/UEF) on June 25 at the Hydrogen Arena. In their presentation, they responded to thought-provoking questions from the field: Will Finland become the Congo of the hydrogen economy? Can a half planner promote seven green transition projects at the same time? Can doubling the willow tilt population be set as a planning principle for the hydrogen project? Is it Ren-Gas’s problem if the power line running through Kolpanlahti needs to be reinforced? Does the nurse on the municipal council know what T-kem means?
The discussion highlighted that the hydrogen transition is above all a social issue that requires local acceptance and a multi-perspective approach to solving real challenges. The hydrogen transition can progress where the interests of different parties can be reconciled.
The hydrogen economy from many perspectives
Throughout Wednesday, the Hydrogen Arena hosted a wide range of presentations on different aspects of the hydrogen transition. Discussion topics included for example the importance of political decision-making, the implementation of investments, the impacts of a transmission network, and the creation of security of supply, value chains, and expertise. Many parties expressed their hope that investments, expertise and legislation would move forward at the same pace and that political decision-making would be long-term, consistent and predictable. The importance of Nordic cooperation and the active role of local authorities and municipalities was also emphasized. It was repeatedly pointed out that cooperation is Finland’s superpower.
The overall message of the event was clear: the paths to the future are being built now, and a just transition to hydrogen requires extensive cooperation between governments, companies, investors, municipalities, research institutes, and citizens.
See more about the Hydrogen Arena in Taika Tikkanen’s blog post and video:
