Finnish-led BalticSeaH2 awarded Hydrogen Valley of the Year
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
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Federal Express Corporation, the world’s largest express transportation company, has officially opened a new sorting facility in Vilnius. The new facility, being built as Lithuanian companies continue to show strong aspirations for international trade, provides businesses with improved cross-border e-commerce capabilities and streamlined logistics operations.
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Originally published on 27 Feb
In the coming years Ignitis ON, the leading EV fast-charging network, will become even larger and more convenient for EV drivers. The European Union (EU) made a decision to allocate EUR 16 million for the charging network’s expansion. The grant will help fund the installation of 500 new charging points. It is the largest-ever allocated sum to a charging network operator in the Baltics.
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Originally published on 27 Feb
The Baltic Sea plays an increasingly important role in the European energy sector, contributing both to energy security and the ongoing energy transition in the region. At ORLEN, we are committed to initiatives focused on this vital basin and fostering discussions on how to fully harness the Baltic Sea’s potential for the benefit of businesses and societies.
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HYBRIT’s pilot project for hydrogen gas storage has now been completed and reported to the Swedish Energy Agency. The results show that it is technically possible to store fossil-free hydrogen gas for producing fossil-free iron and steel on an industrial scale. This can also reduce the variable operating costs of hydrogen production by up to 40 per cent.
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Originally published on 27 Feb
In the Estonian-Latvian border region, public transport services that once provided convenient travel options for residents of both countries have been absent for several decades. The ROCC project, supported by the Interreg Estonia-Latvia Programme 2021-2027, is now approaching a significant milestone—the launch of two pilot bus routes. The Valga-Valka and Ikla-Ainaži (Salacgrīva) bus lines are expected to begin operating in the spring of 2025, offering new mobility opportunities for border residents and travelers alike.
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Originally published on 25 Feb
OpenAI is proud to work with Estonia’s government on a world-first initiative to provide all students and teachers in the secondary school system with access to ChatGPT Edu, a version of ChatGPT customized for education systems, starting with 10th and 11th graders by September 2025.
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Originally published on 25 Feb
A new solution has emerged in Latvia’s defence technology sector: the unmanned ground platform developed by the Latvian startup Natrix is a universal, modular solution that can be adapted for various applications. Currently, the Natrix platform’s primary tasks are delivering ammunition and food to the frontline and on the return journey evacuating the wounded and deceased, thus significantly reducing the risk of casualties for rescuers who previously had to evacuate the injured manually.
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Originally published on 25 Feb
Are you a VR/AR/XR company or a game developer in Finland, Sweden or Estonia looking to accelerate your growth?
The CDG-Booster program invites you to an inclusive community of peers and industry experts to help your company speed up growth, avoid business pitfalls, save resources, find your strengths and learn how to exploit them.
Through this program, your company will become it’s next, improved version of itself and you will journey the path to become a smarter and better entrepreneur.
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Originally published on 21 Feb
Over the course of 2024, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Investment Fund (EIF) continued to support Sweden’s economic development and climate initiatives through substantial investments.
The EIB Group’s financing during the year amounted to around SEK 22 billion, of which more than 60% went to climate measures and environmental sustainability. This money supported wind power, energy-efficient housing and industrial electrification, among other projects.
These investments are estimated to have kept 32 000 jobs in Sweden.
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Originally published on 20 Feb
In the Rail Baltica project, envisioned as a seamless corridor stretching from Warsaw to Tallinn, Poland plays a crucial role as a strategic partner, serving as the gateway connecting Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia with the broader European rail network. While work on Rail Baltica has been progressing in all three Baltic countries, with 43% of the mainline expected to be construction-ready and actively under development by the end of this year, the Polish section has also experienced continuous development for several years.
Rail Baltica team recently conducted a visit to Poland to assess modernization efforts and observe the progress of the railway line that will connect Poland to the Lithuanian border.
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Originally published on 24 Feb