P2X Solutions made Finnish industrial history in early 2025 when it opened Finland's first industrial-scale green hydrogen and synthetic methane production plant in Harjavalta. P2X Solutions chose Insta as the supplier of the plant's main automation and information management system. In addition, Instan's subsidiary Goodwork was responsible for the plant's electrical installations. Instan's delivery included the configuration, programming, system integration, and commissioning of the Siemens-based Simatic PCS 7 process control system at the plant.
The modern system gives P2X Solutions a competitive edge
The automation system supplied by Insta is the brain of the entire production plant.
It is a comprehensive DCS (distributed control system) that controls the entire production plant and connects the equipment and systems in the plant, each with their own local automation features. The system also includes plant automation, which controls the operation and safety of the equipment.
The data obtained from the system is monitored and analyzed to ensure the best performance of the plant. The system is harmonised, which makes it easier to use and maintain and enables the system to be duplicated in future plants. It was important to P2X Solutions that the entity was connected and scalable, and that it could be developed in the future as well.
"The system built specifically for today gives us a competitive advantage," says Tuomo Rinne, Business Development Director at P2X Solutions.
The importance of the main automation system for the start-up of the plant is so great that P2X Solutions would only do one thing differently: involve automation at an earlier stage.
"We have already discussed this with a view to future projects," says Jari Hassinen, Project Manager at P2X Solutions, who led the Harjavalta project.
Insta convinced with flexibility, proactivity, and faith in the pioneering project of a green hydrogen economy
The DCS system was created from scratch at the new Harjavalta plant, which, according to Hassinen, was both a blessing and a curse: on the one hand, the system could be designed to meet the current needs of the plant, but at the same time, it was a leap into the unknown.
"We knew from the beginning that we would have to make changes to the system along the way. For this reason, flexibility was a big criterion for us when choosing a system supplier: it is vital for us to choose a partner with whom we believed we could pull through the change jump."
From Insta, this image quickly emerged for Hassinen:
"Right from the request for quotation stage, Insta responded to our specific contract terms instead of giving a standard reply. During the implementation phase, there was a 2.5-day crunch period during which we held meetings every four hours. A project like this is a chain in which every link must hold. Our partners must have committed individuals whom we can trust to do their part.”
Tuomo Rinne continues:
"During the project, Insta showed commendable proactivity. Along the way, for example, there have been many situations that required clarification, in which case Insta has immediately contacted us and suggested a solution to get started. Insta has been moving things forward on its own all the time."
For Insta, projects that promote a more sustainable future are a strategic choice. Hassinen emphasizes how important it was for the journalist to have faith in what seemed like a big project.
"We were a pretty small group with pretty big plans, so we weren’t exactly the most credible customer. That’s when the suppliers who believed that this could be something special stood out. Plus, Insta’s Jarkko Järvilehto was definitely Finland’s most persistent salesman,” Hassinen smiles.
"We are competitive and require certain kinds of partners"
Finland's first industrial-scale green hydrogen and synthetic methane production plant started commercial operations in February 2025. Although the hydrogen hype has subsided from its peak a few years ago, the importance of green hydrogen for a more sustainable future is undeniable. P2X Solutions is aiming for a capacity of 1GW in the 2030s – the next hydrogen plant is already being planned in Joensuu, and it has been modelled on the pioneering project in Harjavalta. According to Hassinen, there are good conditions for further cooperation.
"Our goal has been to open up the hydrogen economy. We are competitive and require certain types of partners. Based on this experience, there are good conditions for further cooperation."