”There are challenges, but certainly opportunities” – Nordic Battery Visit in Vaasa
The fourth Nordic Battery Visit gathered experts and innovators from the industry in Vaasa on October 1-2 to discuss the green transition in the Nordic countries.
Ilkka Homanen from Business Finland summarised the day’s atmosphere right in the morning by stating that there are indeed challenges, but certainly opportunities as well. According to him, electrification is the way forward.
Benedicte Fasmer Waaler from Innovation Norway added that the Nordic countries have very strong fundamentals in the battery value chain.
The biggest question of the first day concerned the Nordic countries and gigafactories. Are they dreams or reality? In the first panel discussion of the day, the importance of sustainability was emphasised. Tor Stendahl from FREYR Battery stated that it is important that batteries – both their metals and other materials – can also be recycled in Europe. The panel also noted that regulation that works and helps us achieve self-sufficiency in Europe is good regulation.
Jyrki Alkio from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment commented on the construction of Finland’s battery cluster and stated that the key findings of the national battery work can be summarised in three words: skills, responsibility, and competitiveness.
– The future looks bright, and it is something we can build together.
The second panel of the day dealt with foreign investments and the opportunities of the entire value chain. The panel discussed China a lot.
– Even if we do everything right, we cannot beat China, which is rapidly becoming a leading innovator in advanced technologies, Jarkko Vesa stated in the opening speech of the panel.
Jenni Bäck from CNGR Finland stressed the importance of local cooperation:
– The best expertise and local cooperation are necessary to maintain competitiveness in the market.
The program of the second day delved into the deployment of batteries and their role in the green transition in the maritime and work machine sectors. The discussions emphasised the rapid development of electrification and battery solutions in maritime logistics and transportation both locally and globally.
In fact, Teemu Kyläkallio from Rauma Marine Constructions noted that the construction of maritime green corridors requires the cooperation of several companies.
Regarding the work machine cluster, development trends were discussed from both industrial and manufacturing perspectives. The speeches highlighted battery safety and reliability as key focus areas.
The panel also discussed the market situation of electric vehicles, noting that the growth in electric vehicle sales has not been as significant as expected. Juuso Kelkka from Ioncor responded that although electric vehicles are large investments that make private consumers hesitate, the electrification of work machinery is necessary due to government regulations.
