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Fortum and Metsä Group to jointly explore processing wood-based carbon dioxide with green hydrogen

27 March 2023, 14:00 EEST

Forest and lake

Fortum and Metsä Group have launched a pre-feasibility study to examine the technological and business potential of further processing of wood-derived carbon dioxide. In line with its strategy, Fortum wants to drive decarbonisation and growth for Nordic industries by providing clean energy and CO2-free solutions to its customers.

Wood-based carbon dioxide is a by-product of Metsä Group's production facilities. Fortum and Metsä Group are examining how hydrogen could be used to produce new clean raw material, for example for the chemical industry, through capture and further processing of wood-based carbon dioxide.

"Fortum has a strong position in clean energy production and as a partner to the industry we want to find solutions to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. We aim to drive the development of clean hydrogen in the Nordics, leveraging our strong position in CO2 free energy. The Fortum and Metsä Group pre-feasibility study is a good example of cooperation where different industries serve each other by benefiting from each other's business expertise. The end result is a carbon neutral product for the customer," says Simon-Erik Ollus, Executive Vice President, Generation Division at Fortum.

"Wood-based carbon dioxide from pulp mills or our other production units is an interesting and currently mostly unused raw material for various chemical industry products that replace fossil-based materials. The technology has developed and the possibilities for further processing of the recovered wood-based carbon dioxide have improved. Cooperation with Fortum opens up interesting development opportunities for Metsä Group," says Ilkka Hämälä, CEO of Metsä Group.

The study will be completed by the end of 2023. Any decisions about investments will be made in due course.

Fortum Newsdesk, newsdesk [at] fortum [dot] com (newsdesk[at]fortum[dot]com), puh. +358 40 198 2843

Fortum and hydrogen

Fortum has a strong position in clean energy production, and we strive to find solutions for our industrial customers to help decarbonise their operations. We want to drive the development of clean hydrogen in the Nordics together with our customers. We are actively exploring hydrogen concepts and business opportunities together with companies in the pulp and paper, steel, chemical and transport sectors, among others.

Read more about Fortum and hydrogen from our website www.fortum.com/hydrogen