ABB’s energy management system will provide production planning and energy market optimization at the new Harjavalta production plant in Finland. The facility is currently under commissioning by P2X Solutions, a pioneer in green hydrogen and Power-to-X technology. Once in operation by the end of 2024, the Harjavalta plant will open up the Finnish green hydrogen market and helps to drive P2X Solutions’ mission to achieve a total of 1 GW of production capacity across all facilities by 2031. The plant will accelerate also other hydrogen derivatives, as it includes methanation capacity for the production of renewable synthetic methane.
Employing green hydrogen energy experts throughout the plant means that it will significantly advance valuable expertise in this area, both in Finland and internationally. P2X Solutions will build on this important work with the development of additional hydrogen production plants in Joensuu and Oulu in the near future.
Solving the green hydrogen conundrum
Green hydrogen made via electrolysis – a process of using electricity from renewable sources to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen – is widely recognized as an important energy vector for achieving a low carbon future.
However, high production costs and energy-intensive processes present significant obstacles to making green hydrogen available to the market. According to the Green Hydrogen Catapult, a global initiative made up of leading energy companies, to scale up production capacity to the 50 times required, the cost of producing green hydrogen must decrease significantly. These are the types of challenges that P2X Solutions will need to address at the plant.
To help the company achieve this, ABB Ability™ OPTIMAX® helps to increase efficiencies and maximize the total value of the used energy by strategically directing energy flows and assets. Day-ahead and intraday planning capabilities enable the company to trade competitively with the grid and reduce the levelized cost of hydrogen as much as possible. By monitoring power flows and energy usage, the software will provide contextual data that operators can use in reporting plant performance KPIs for different stakeholders. The transparency offered by the solution will increase the efficiency and safety of each electrolyzer module being operated to produce green hydrogen through the use of renewable energy, regulating each module’s power, and ensuring it is only used as and when required.
By making green hydrogen energy more accessible as an energy source, the Harjavalta plant is an important milestone in the progression towards a low carbon future. We’re proud that ABB Ability™ OPTIMAX® is part of that journey.
Image: Harjavalta production plant. Photo credit: P2X Solutions
