Why Oulu

Oulu is the tech­nol­o­gy cap­i­tal of Fin­land

When it comes to dig­i­tal solu­tions, Oulu is a glob­al­ly acknowl­edged cen­tre of excel­lence. Our sus­tain­able growth is based on smart solu­tions in bioe­con­o­my, cir­cu­lar econ­o­my, and hydro­gen econ­o­my. Major inter­na­tion­al cor­po­ra­tions, such as Sto­ra Enso and Nokia, are car­ry­ing out mas­sive invest­ments in Oulu. Mea­sur­ing by cap­i­tal invest­ments, also our dozens of growth com­pa­nies, such as Owa­tec and Brigth­plus, are in good shape.

We are clear­ly the num­ber one con­cen­tra­tion in R&D invest­ments with­in Fin­land and among the top in the EU. The region is a fron­trun­ner in tech­nol­o­gy inno­va­tions and dig­i­tal­i­sa­tion, and our indus­tries have three cor­ner­stones: ICT, healthtech and green tech.

• 25,000 high-tech jobs, +5,500 R&D experts
• >500 start­up com­pa­nies dur­ing the last 3 years
• Among the best inno­va­tion & tech­nol­o­gy cities

Oulu is an inno­v­a­tive city with bright, young minds. We are known as fore­run­ners in sus­tain­abil­i­ty, and our peo­ple and com­pa­nies are ear­ly adopters. We have a strong his­to­ry in ener­gy inten­sive indus­try, high-tech and uni­ver­si­ty research cre­ate great R&D and busi­ness oppor­tu­ni­ties in Oulu, and we are invest­ing most R&D mon­ey per capi­ta in Fin­land and are among the top cities in Europe.

Oulu is a place where tech­nol­o­gy and nature meet

The city of Oulu offers an ide­al envi­ron­ment for cleantech com­pa­nies that aim to solve envi­ron­men­tal chal­lenges and pro­mote sus­tain­able devel­op­ment.

Oulu’s green tran­si­tion is a region­al strat­e­gy that focus­es on sus­tain­able devel­op­ment and envi­ron­men­tal­ly friend­ly solu­tions. The goal is to move towards a low-car­bon and resource-effi­cient soci­ety. Oulu’s green tran­si­tion cov­ers many dif­fer­ent areas, and the city strives to be car­bon neu­tral by the year 2035.

• Ener­gy and cli­mate: Oulu aims to increase the use of renew­able ener­gy and reduce car­bon diox­ide emis­sions. This may include, for exam­ple, the pro­mo­tion of solar ener­gy, wind pow­er, and ener­gy effi­cien­cy.
• Mobil­i­ty: Oulu invests in sus­tain­able mobil­i­ty, such as cycling, pedes­tri­an­ism, and pub­lic trans­port. The goal is to reduce pri­vate dri­ving and emis­sions caused by traf­fic.
• Cir­cu­lar econ­o­my: Oulu wants to pro­mote a cir­cu­lar econ­o­my where mate­ri­als and resources are used effi­cient­ly and waste is reduced. This can be relat­ed, for exam­ple, to recy­cling, reuse, and extend­ing the life cycle of prod­ucts.
• Inno­va­tions and research: In Oulu, a lot of research and devel­op­ment is done on envi­ron­men­tal­ly friend­ly solu­tions. The area is home to many cleantech com­pa­nies and research insti­tutes that devel­op new tech­nolo­gies and inno­va­tions.

The City of Oulu green indus­try mas­ter plan 2030

Oulu’s green tran­si­tion is an impor­tant step towards a more sus­tain­able future, and it offers oppor­tu­ni­ties for both com­pa­nies and indi­vid­u­als. Oulu is an excel­lent place for hydro­gen busi­ness, as there are many suit­able indus­tri­al areas here, as well as clean elec­tric­i­ty and water. Oulu also has skilled work­force and high-qual­i­ty research on hydro­gen and renew­able ener­gy. We have good oppor­tu­ni­ties to build a hydro­gen-based indus­try.

The City of Oulu plans to imple­ment a large green tran­si­tion indus­tri­al area in the Pyyryväi­nen area, where indus­try would be locat­ed in the future, and which will imple­ment Fin­land’s so-called green tran­si­tion. The plan­ning also includes the con­struc­tion of new road and rail con­nec­tions, a 400-kilo­volt pow­er line, and a pos­si­ble hydro­gen pipeline in the area. Oulun Ener­gia pow­er com­pa­ny and P2X Solu­tions joint­ly announced a plan to build a large hydro­gen plant in Laani­la. The aim is to start pro­duc­ing hydro­gen and elec­tri­cal fuels at the plant in 2028 at the ear­li­est.

Devel­op­ment relat­ed to hydro­gen tech­nol­o­gy will also take place in the Port of Oulu area in Oritkari. The port area is a con­cen­tra­tion of the hydro­gen econ­o­my, in con­nec­tion with which the process for mak­ing plan­ning reser­va­tions for plots was start­ed in April 2024. There are ready-made site loca­tions with chem­i­cal indus­try zon­ing. The Port of Oulu offers 150 hectares of green indus­try invest­ment plat­form for H2 pro­duc­tion and refine­ment. The process of reserv­ing lands is ongo­ing in May 2024. The Pyyryväi­nen area close by offers 1000 hectares for green indus­tries.