HELO - Hydrogen Economy Logistics Optimization

HELO – Hydrogen Economy Logistics Optimization is a co-research project that tackles a critical enabler of the hydrogen transition: the development of scalable, investable logistics systems for hydrogen and its derivatives and complements, including eSAF, e-methane, biogenic CO₂ and e-ammonia. HELO positions logistics as the strategic backbone for building hydrogen value chains – not a secondary consideration. 

To support this ambition, HELO introduces a modular, conceptually unified framework – DTI4HydroChains – that links the project’s tools and services. The framework integrates simulation, cost optimization, infrastructure strategy, risk and regulatory support, and fleet monitoring into a coherent system for managing hydrogen supply chains. It provides a systemic foundation for future digital integration, ensuring that tools developed in HELO are 
interoperable, scalable, and aligned with long-term ecosystem needs. 

The project starts from end-use demand and works backward to define what should be produced, where it can be produced, and how these products can be transported efficiently, safely, and at scale. It focuses on regional suitability, considering boundary conditions such as renewable energy availability, existing infrastructure, industrial clusters, and social license to operate. 

Led by VTT and aligned with the Fossil Free Future Veturi ecosystem (led by Danfoss) as well as the Food 2.0 Veturi ecosystem (led by Valio), HELO brings together research organizations, industry, logistics operators, and policymakers. The Fossil Free Future programme, with its focus on green hydrogen production, is a perfect match with HELO’s goals of developing systemic, scalable logistics solutions that complement production and enable full value-chain deployment. Similarly, the Food 2.0 programme supports HELO’s goals through its focus on developing green urea production opportunities in Finland and creating opportunities for integrating Valio’s biogenic CO2 streams into the larger Finnish CO2 ecosystem for Carbon Capture, Utilization & Storage (CCUS). 
Through regional case studies (e.g. Tampere, Oulu, Jyväskylä) and international corridor design (e.g. Germany), the HELO project delivers logistics strategies, business models, infrastructure concepts, ecosystem simulations, and considerations for safe and socially acceptable logistics systems.  

HELO creates decision-support tools and coordinated roadmaps to reduce early investment risks and enhance Finland’s strategic position in Europe's growing hydrogen and carbon product markets.