- A significant milestone in the fight for the reoxygenation of the oceans
- A great news a few days before the World Ocean Day (8 June)
Helsinki (Finland), Paris (France), and Stockholm (Sweden), 4 June 2024, 9.00 am CEST – Marking a significant milestone in the fight for the reoxygenation of the oceans, the Baltic Sea Oxygenation and the Super-Green Hydrogen Economy project, affectionately known as “BOxHy,” has been endorsed under the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030.
This unique project is a groundbreaking tripartite collaboration, with each partner contributing their expertise to advance it – Flexens, a leader in the development of hydrogen projects with a strong regional focus; Lhyfe, a global front-runner in the onshore and offshore production of green and renewable hydrogen for mobility and industry, whose founding ambition is to reoxygenate the oceans through its offshore activities; and the Department of Ecology, Environment, and Plant Sciences (DEEP) at Stockholm University, with expertise in marine ecology monitoring and a focus on both fundamental and applied Baltic Sea research.
BOxHy stands at the forefront of efforts to address the critical issue of anoxia in the Baltic Sea, a condition characterised by a complete absence of oxygen that threatens marine life and ecosystem health.
All around the world, the oceans have been losing oxygen since the 1950s. The number of coastal sites with oxygen concentrations too low to support marine life has risen from 10 in 1960 to over 900 in 2018. This loss is directly linked to human activity – namely, water pollution and, increasingly, global warming. These changes in oxygen concentrations have a destructive impact on the ocean, its fauna and flora, but they also affect us humans, because this phenomenon has an impact on the millions of jobs associated with coastal waters, and on the protein supply of more than 3 billion people.
By adapting existing technologies to oxygenate the sea, the project aims to restore aquatic vitality and explore the potential for sector coupling with green hydrogen production, offering a sustainable model for environmental restoration and economic development.
The project’s main objective is to contribute to tackling the problem of ‘anoxia’ (the complete lack of oxygen in the marine environment) in the Baltic Sea by injecting oxygen into the sea via offshore hydrogen production using water electrolysis, an adapted and existing technology.
The project began in October 2023, coordinated by Flexens and is supported by the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) Fund. BOxHy is on a determined path to evaluate suitable coastal locations for conducting a pilot study of reoxygenation of marine ecosystems through the oxygen co-produced during this water electrolysis, setting a precedent for innovative solutions in marine conservation and green energy integration.
BOxHy endorsed under the UN Ocean Decade, Aligns with Sustainable Development Goals for 2030
The United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development aims to support efforts to reverse the cycle of decline in ocean health and gather ocean stakeholders worldwide behind a common framework that ensures ocean science can fully support countries to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Individual projects are typically attached to endorsed Decade programmes within the Ocean Decade Implementation Plan. BOxHy project will be connected to the Global Ocean Oxygen Decade (GOOD).
“Receiving the UN Ocean Decade Endorsement is a monumental achievement for BOxHy. It validates our commitment to sustainable ocean governance and propels us to foster global collaboration and innovation for the ocean’s health. The Endorsement is an excellent opportunity to highlight the project’s significance and alignment with the United Nations’ goals for sustainable ocean management and to invite the scientific, institutional and industrial spheres to the speed up research and implement solutions regarding need to reoxygenate the oceans”, says Consortium coordinator Szilvia Haide, from Flexens.
Consortium member Matthieu Guesné, from Lhyfe, adds: “The oceans deserve all our combined efforts. By creating this Ocean Decade, the United Nations has helped to put the spotlight on this major issue. We are proud that it has endorsed our BOxHy project in this framework. At the same time, we are continuing our work to make offshore hydrogen production a reality by 2026.”
Future Outlook – The project sets a benchmark in the global effort to promote ocean health and sustainability through innovative research and collaboration
With the UN Decade endorsement, BOxHy is poised to grow its stakeholder engagement through active discussions within the Ocean Decade Network and collaboration with other Decade partners. Reaching the long-term target of mitigating anoxia on a Baltic-sea-wide scale requires international collaboration amongst the scientific community, energy sector, policymakers, citizens, investors and more.
By taking a stepwise approach to implementation and involving stakeholders each step of the way, we can tackle the challenges and find the best solutions together. The Baltic Sea Pilot for Pure Oxygen Injection (BOxIn) will be implemented in the project’s next phase. Stay tuned for more information.
FIND MORE INFORMATION
BOxHy press release (21.12.2023):
https://flexens.com/leading-the-battle-against-anoxia-in-the-baltic-sea-the-boxhy-project/
The project partners
Flexens is the ideal partner for communities, industries, and investors seeking renewable Power-to-X solutions. We develop large-scale, clean, and sustainable hydrogen projects to accelerate the energy transition.
Flexens was founded in 2018 to capitalise on the skills and capabilities created in building the world-leading RES testbed and demo, Smart Energy Åland, to capture the rapidly growing demand for renewable energy systems.
Lhyfe is a European group devoted to energy transition, and a producer and supplier of green and renewable hydrogen. Its production sites and portfolio of projects intend to provide access to green and renewable hydrogen in industrial quantities, and enable the creation of a virtuous energy model capable of decarbonising entire sectors of industry and transport.
In 2021, Lhyfe inaugurated the first industrial-scale green hydrogen production plant in the world to be interconnected with a wind farm. In 2022, the company inaugurated the first offshore green hydrogen production pilot platform in the world. In 2023, it inaugurated its second and third sites, and currently has several sites under construction or expansion across Europe.
Lhyfe is represented in 12 European countries and had 195 staff at the end of December 2023. The company is listed on the Euronext market in Paris (ISIN: FR0014009YQ1 – LHYFE). Lhyfe.com
Click to access the Lhyfe Media Kit (press kit and visuals)
Lhyfe Sweden AB, a limited liability company incorporated and existing under the laws of Sweden, having its registered office located at Klarabergsgatan 60, 111 21 Stockholm, Sweden, with registration number 559334-3857.
Stockholm University (SU) department of Ecology, Environment and Plants Sciences (DEEP) has 140 employees, including 35 teachers and researchers and ca. 50 PhD students. The research and education at DEEP include ecology and evolution, ecotoxicology, marine biology, plant physiology and plant systematics. The research has partly direct environment and society relevance and is often interdisciplinary. DEEP has a long tradition of Baltic Sea research including environmental monitoring of the Baltic Sea as an integrated part of the research. This links to the strategic focus on the Baltic Sea of Stockholm University and the work at Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre.
https://www.su.se/department-of-ecology-environment-and-plant-sciences/
Read more about the Baltic Sea Action Plan Fund:
https://www.nefco.int/financing/other-regions/baltic-sea-action-plan-fund/
CONTACTS
Flexens
Marketing and Communications Manager Juha Uppa
+358 (0) 45 118 9585, juha.uppa@flexens.com
Lhyfe
Industry Press Relations:
Nouvelles Graines, Clémence Rebours
+33 (0)6 60 57 76 43, c.rebours@nouvelles-graines.com
Financial Press Relations:
ACTUS, Manon Clairet
+33 (0)1 53 67 36 73, mclairet@actus.fr
Investor Relations:
LHYFE, Yoann Nguyen
investors@lhyfe.com
Stockholm University
Project Manager Jakob Walve
+46 (0) 73 270 29 63, jakob.walve@su.se
UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (the Ocean Decade)
oceandecade@unesco.org
https://oceandecade.org/
Global Ocean Oxygen Decade (GOOD):
https://www.ioc.unesco.org/en/global-ocean-oxygen-decade
BOxHy – Baltic Sea Oxygenation and Super-Green H2:
https://oceandecade.org/actions/baltic-sea-oxygenation-and-super-green-h2/
Photo: Thomas Horig / Ocean Image Bank
Flexens is the ideal partner for communities, industries, and investors seeking renewable Power-to-X solutions. We develop large-scale, clean, and sustainable hydrogen projects to accelerate the energy transition.
Flexens was founded in 2018 to capitalise on the skills and capabilities created in building the world-leading RES testbed and demo, Smart Energy Åland, to capture the rapidly growing demand for renewable energy systems.
