Post by Fortum

Clean energy investments are becoming a defining factor for Europe’s competitiveness, resilience, and industrial future. Yesterday, we gathered policymakers, power generators, industry leaders, investors, and academia in Brussels for the second Fortum EU Power Hour roundtable. The discussion focused on how to build a stable environment for clean investments in Europe, building on the European Commission’s recent Clean Energy Investment Strategy.   Opening the session, Pierre Schellekens (DG ENER) set the tone by stressing that today’s geopolitical turmoil is a stark reminder of Europe’s need to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and accelerate the greening of its economy, with private investment playing a crucial role. From an industry perspective, our Senior Vice President for Corporate Customers, Urs Pennanen, highlighted that while the Nordics provide an attractive environment for green projects thanks to their near fully decarbonised power system, getting projects to final investment decisions remains challenging. Positive examples brought this to life through concrete projects in Finland. Victoria Sarmiento Herrero shared insights from Microsoft’s large-scale waste heat recovery project in Espoo, while Maxime Vandersmissen presented Arctial’s ongoing plans for Europe’s first primary aluminium smelter in over 30 years in Kokkola, with a final investment decision to be taken. Both cases highlighted a common lesson: clean industrial projects can move forward when the right conditions are in place – namely available infrastructure, clear demand, adequate de-risking mechanisms and efficient permitting processes.    The discussion confirmed that the path forward needs action on multiple fronts: 👉 Stronger demand for low-carbon products to unlock investments 👉 Faster permitting and implementation at Member State level 👉 Increased focus on grid investments as a critical enabler   At Fortum, we are committed to supporting our industrial customers in securing the low-carbon energy they need, and to look for optimal solutions for them to successfully carry out their projects. Thank you to our speakers and participants for a lively debate! #electrification #competitiveness