Finnish Government Continues To Develop EU Battery Cluster
Finland has allocated 15 million euros for the expansion of Nornickel Harjavalta, which is designed to help the country to develop sustainable battery cluster, the company has said in a statement published on Wednesday.
Such large amount of the grant demonstrates the government’s recognition of Nornickel Harjavalta’s innovative services and the expected increase of the demand for its products.
“We are really grateful for this funding and the trust in our operations. This funding shows our importance in the Finnish battery ecosystem. We are a reliable and responsible operator, and this funding supports our goals for responsible growth as the demand for battery materials grows”, says Joni Hautojärvi, Managing Director of Nornickel Harjavalta.
Business Finland is the Finnish government organization, it has granted EUR 15 million in funding for Nornickel Harjavalta’s expansion investment, which will support the growing demand of responsibly produced battery materials in Europe for electric vehicles with a low carbon footprint.
With the investment, Nornickel Harjavalta’s production capacity will be increased from 65,000 tons to over 100,000 tons nickel content in metal and chemical products. When implemented, the expansion investment will significantly strengthen the European battery ecosystem and improve the environmental performance of the production site. The financing promotes the construction of a sustainable battery industry in Finland enabling business growth and opening new jobs in the industry.
The carbon footprint of nickel and cobalt products produced by Harjavalta has decreased significantly in recent years. Fossil energy and oil products used in production have been replaced by bioenergy and liquefied natural gas. The carbon footprint of the products is already one of the lowest in the industry. The increase in production capacity will further improve the efficiency of the refinery and reduce the carbon footprint of our products, the company said in the statement.
The expansion will be implemented in two stages. At stage 1, the production will increase from 65,000 tonnes to 75,000 tons in 2023. During the second stage, production will increase to more than 100,000 tonnes by the beginning of 2026.
Business Finland supports innovation and trade, promoting travel and investment opportunities. Business Finland’s 750 experts work in 44 offices globally and in 16 regional offices around Finland. The foundation is a part of the Team Finland network.
Finland has expertise throughout the battery value chain, from the mining industry and processing of raw materials to technologies and services related to the manufacture and use of batteries, as well as charging technologies and recycling. Finnish companies – from large operators to SMEs and startups – offer competitive concepts and knowhows across the battery production value chain, with world-class expertise in chemistry, processing, engineering and energy.
“Finland is known for its innovativeness and thus offers a great place for testing and piloting the new generation of electric and electrified vehicles and machines that will be running on battery power. Building a sustainable, circular, green battery ecosystem supports our goal of a zero carbon society and is achieved through the continued long-term and close collaboration between public and private sectors”, said Mr. Ilkka Homanen, Head of Smart Mobility and Batteries at Business Finland.
Finland’s unique battery ecosystem offers attractive investment opportunities. Consistently ranked among the best business environments in the world, Finland is known for its highly educated workforce, reliable infrastructure and transparent and stable society. Latest investment news in the energy sector include Australian Critical Metals ‘and Neometals’ decision to build a sustainable vanadium recovery and production facility in Pori, Finland.
Offering world-class opportunities from the beginning to the end along the value chain, Finland is also an attractive market for global talents.
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