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The Baltic Sea region has strong potential to take a lead in the transition to climate-smart marine fuels, but faces delays due to high costs and unclear political policy direction. This is highlighted in a new report from IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, in which Port of Luleå is studied.
The new report, which examines market conditions among the eight countries around the Baltic Sea, shows that hydrogen-based electrofuels – such as electro-ammonia and electro-methanol – will be crucial for meeting climate targets. Shipping is one of the sectors where transition to fossil-free operations is progressing slowly. The report shows that energy companies and ports see these new fuels as essential in the long term, but stakeholders hesitate to invest because of uncertainity about future demand or which fuel type will dominate. John Sundvall, Technical Director at Port of Luleå, confirms this and sees the development of renewable fuels as a necessity to meet future requirements from shipping companies and industry.
– In northern Sweden, a major energy transition in industry is underway, which could also benefit shipping. As a transport hub and one of EU’s strategically designated ports, we naturally want to contribute to this transition. It is possible to build infrastructure here for both bunkering and export, but for us to invest, the market needs to become more secure, he says.
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Originally published on 1 Dec
The European Investment Bank (EIB) will contribute €600 million and become the largest lender to the construction of BC-Wind, a 390 MW offshore wind windfarm in the Baltic Sea set to supply nearly half a million Polish households and businesses with clean power. Developed by Ocean Winds, an ENGIE and EDPR joint venture, the wind farm will sit over 20 kilometres off Poland’s western coast and is expected to start production in 2028. It marks the fourth major offshore project backed by the EIB in Poland, and the third one signed in the country just this year.
“The EIB’s persistent commitment to supporting climate, economic competitiveness and Europe’s strategic sovereignty stands behind this beneficial, long-term loan for the construction and operation of BC-Wind, a new offshore wind project in the Polish economic zone in the Baltic Sea. As the climate bank of the European Union, the EIB is a trusted partner of ambitious energy transition in Poland from renewable sources to grid modernisation to energy efficiency and affordability. The latest addition to Poland’s rapidly growing offshore wind industry, BC-Wind will help reduce Poland’s carbon emissions and ensure energy security for people and businesses,” said EIB Vice-President Teresa Czerwińska.
BC-Wind will consist of 26 bottom-fixed turbines, each with a maximum capacity of 15 MW. Ocean Winds has already secured all of the required permits, as well as a 25-year contract for difference to underpin future sales. On Dec.1, the company announced the sealing of an around €2 billion financing agreement with 15 lenders, which means construction can start in 2026.
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Originally published on 1 Dec
Despite its compact size, Estonia is now making big moves in Energy technology, as its startups move into the scale-up category. Founded in Tallinn, Skeleton Technologies just opened one of Europe’s most advanced supercapacitor plants in Leipzig — and the timing couldn’t be better.
The €220M facility is the largest recent industrial investment from Estonia into Germany, and a perfect showcase of how innovations and strong industrial traditions could merge. Think of supercapacitors as the emergency responders of the electrical grid. When power surges or drops happen, they react in milliseconds—far faster than traditional batteries. CEO Taavi Madiberk calls them “a seatbelt for a grid with more and more renewables.”
As Europe adds more wind and solar power, the grid becomes more volatile. The challenges are already evident, with spring’s widespread power outages in Spain and Portugal making headlines. That’s exactly the kind of crisis Skeleton’s technology prevents. Their systems already serve as last-resort safeguards for German grid operators, plus energy giants like Siemens, GE, and Hitachi. Their mission, as Madiberk puts it, is simple: “Keep the lights on in Europe.”
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Originally published on 1 Dec
Latvia has been ranked nr. 1 out of 32 countries in the Investment Promotion Agency index as outlined in “The Investment Promotion Playbook 2025″ report by Reinvantage, an independent consultancy firm, for the second year in a row. The second place is taken by Estonia, with Lithuania ranked number 5.
The report by Reinvantage has assessed 32 countries across Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe, the Baltics, the Balkans, the Eastern Mediterranean, and Central Asia. The report has been published for 8 years consecutively, and has grown from its initial 23-country cohort to the now-expanded 32 countries.
The methodology is made up of scores across five categories, each weighted according to impact:
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Originally published on 1 Dec
Rail Baltica has concluded its participation in the Rail Live 2025 conference in Madrid with an extensive programme of meetings, discussions, and presentations focused on advancing the project’s technical and strategic objectives. Over two days, representatives took part in panel discussions addressing leadership in the rail sector, infrastructure resilience, and financing models, as well as delivered presentations on virtual design, BIM utilisation, and Rail Baltica’s electrification strategy.
The delegation also held numerous scheduled meetings with industry organisations to exchange knowledge on technological solutions, procurement planning, and future cooperation possibilities as the project moves toward implementation and procurement milestones.
Participation in Rail Live provided Rail Baltica with an opportunity to share project progress, gather insights on emerging trends in the rail sector, and reinforce its position within the European railway community.
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Originally published on 1 Dec
The Baltic Sea Region (BSR) port ecosystem faces profound geopolitical and economic reorganization, which has necessitated the rapid dissolution of established trade flows and energy connections. The new TEN-T framework places immediate pressure on the comprehensive ports in the BSR to adapt to rapidly changing security, economic, and regulatory environments.
Long-term competitiveness relies on fulfilling strict 2050 standards for environmental, digital, and multimodal infrastructure, and strengthening dual-use capabilities for military mobility. Securing the long-term vitality of these crucial regional nodes demands immediate, grounded analysis to protect their operational continuity and guide strategic diversification.
To aid the maritime community in the BSR in navigating this transformed reality, the Baltic Ports Organization (BPO) has published the report Comprehensive ports in the Baltic Sea – Resilience, Transformation and Future Prospects. This resource provides analysis and insights essential for understanding the shifting commercial, security, and regulatory landscape faced by the comprehensive port network.
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Originally published on 26 Nov
Insta has landed a significant and exciting assignment to deliver the main automation system as well as process electrical and automation installations for Fazer’s new chocolate factory in Lahti. Operations are set to start in 2028.This project represents the largest investment in Fazer’s history and one of the most notable undertakings in the history of Finland’s food industry.
The delivery includes the factory’s main automation system, which integrates all production equipment and processes into one unified platform. Insta is also responsible for process electrical and automation installations, ensuring seamless commissioning and reliable operation. The project began immediately after signing the contract and is scheduled for completion by the end of 2027. Insta’s delivery phase will conclude in early 2028, guaranteeing a smooth and uninterrupted production start-up. Close collaboration will continue throughout the entire project until the factory is fully operational.
Construction work on the new factory, covering approximately 33,300 square meters, started in summer 2025. During the construction phase, the site will employ hundreds of professionals, with an estimated workload exceeding 500,000 working hours. The new production facility will be highly electrified and automated, and its comprehensive energy recycling system will make it CO₂ emission-free in terms of its own energy consumption. Additionally, the factory aims to achieve BREEAM environmental certification. Operations are expected to begin in 2028.
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Originally published on 27 Nov
On 24 November 2025, during the Nasdaq closing bell ceremony at Times Square in New York, six Baltic companies were recognised, including Ignitis Group, which was named the best investor relations company in Lithuania for the second year in a row.
The aim of this prestigious event is to highlight Baltic companies that, in the Nasdaq Baltic Awards 2025, were recognised for outstanding achievements in transparency, corporate governance and investor relations.
The ceremony featured Ignitis Group and Neo Finance from Lithuania, CleanR Grupa and Latvenergo from Latvia, and LHV Group and Tallink Grupp from Estonia. The laureates were selected based on publicly disclosed information, trading activity and assessments by market participants.
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Originally published on 25 Nov
The European H2 Valley of the Year Award honours exceptional achievements in the development and implementation of Hydrogen Valleys. Criteria for the evaluation are breakthroughs in project implementation, outstanding efforts in covering the value chain, hydrogen volume produced/used in the valley, the stakeholders’ landscape and involvement, as well as the innovation level. The award was handed out at Hydrogen Research and Innovation Days.
BalticSeaH2 builds the first significant, cross-border hydrogen valley in Europe. The goal is to create an integrated hydrogen economy around the Baltic Sea to enable self-sufficiency of energy and minimise carbon emissions from different industries. Combining local areas into a broader valley supports creating a genuinely integrated, interregional hydrogen economy, which has not been done previously on this scale in Europe.
The main valley of the project is located between Finland and Estonia. The area between Finland and Estonia is an optimal location for a cross-border hydrogen market. The necessary infrastructure – natural gas pipelines, electricity grids, and active marine traffic – already exist in the Gulf of Finland. The project will support the reduction of the carbon emissions from existing marine traffic. In addition, Gasgrid Vetyverkot is already preparing hydrogen infrastructure: Nordic-Baltic Hydrogen Corridor, Baltic Sea Hydrogen Collector and Nordic Hydrogen Route enable strong growth for hydrogen economy and hydrogen markets in the Baltic Sea region.
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Originally published on 27 Nov
An important milestone has been reached for the hybrid interconnector Bornholm Energy Island (BEI): first public consultations have started in both countries.
The transmission system operators 50Hertz and Energinet have jointly submitted an application to start the environmental impact assessment (EIA) to the Danish Environmental Agency SGAV for the “BEI Interconnector Bornholm-Germany.” To this end, in November 2025, the public on Bornholm and relevant stakeholders were invited to the first public consultation. In Germany, the first public consultation took place in April 2025.
Bornholm Energy Island is a European PCI project (project of common interest), and the approval procedures are therefore being carried out according to the European TEN-E regulation.
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Originally published on 28 Nov