Analysis of place-based factors in transitions through the lens of a transition space: Insights from Finland’s emerging battery industry

Figures & data

Fig. 1. A conceptual framework of a transition space combining territorial, relational and temporal transition dynamics

Table 1. Research materials and their relevance to the case study

Authors	Focus	Scope and relevance	Sources
Löfmarck et al. (2022)	Vaasa battery context	Account of the preconditions for developing the battery industry in the Vaasa region (e.g. natural resources’ geographical origin, production facilities, and local, regional, and international supply chains and material flows)	Official report
City of Vaasa (2022); GigaVaasa (2022)*; Niemi (2023); Okonkwo (2022); Varjonen (2023); VASEK (2023)	Governance	Empirical account of actors’ agency in battery developments (e.g. planning of land allocation, transport planning, engaging private investors, and completed and ongoing infrastructural projects in the region to strengthen access to the industry)	Journal articles, official reports, the website of a national media company, and regional actors in the Kvarken region
Aslani et al. (2013a); EnergyVaasa (2019); O’Sullivan (2022); Peura et al. (2022); Yorke et al. (2021)	Energy mix and discourses	Insights into the clean energy mix that can support the battery industry in the Vaasa region and the related discourses	Journal articles, the official website of a regional institution, an official report, and a local online newspaper
Aslani et al. (2013a; 2013b); Both2nia project (2022); City of Vaasa (2024a); EnergyVaasa (2019); GigaVaasa (2022); Haveri (2018); Löfmarck et al. (2022); Mäenpää (2021); Paasi (2012); Rasilainen et al. (2020); VASEK (2023); Virkkala et al. (2014)	Contextual background of the Vaasa region	Insights into factors (raw materials, strong institutions and facilities) that support the development of the battery industry in the Vaasa region	Journal articles, the official website of a regional institution, and an official report
City of Vaasa (2022); EnergyVaasa (2022); Löfmarck et al. (2022, 9); Mäenpää (2021); Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment (2021); Virkkala et al. (2014); Wasaline (n.d.)	Governance	Shows the interdependence and interplay between actors in fostering the battery industry and provides insights into how established institutions shape local conditions	Journal articles, the official website of a regional institution, and an official report
EnergyVaasa (2019); European Commission (2022); GigaVaasa (2022); Haveri (2018); Löfmark et al. (2022); Merinova Technology Centre (2023); University of Vaasa (n.d.); Wärtsilä (2021)	Governance	Background to regional energy actors and educational institutions facilitating the industry’s growth, explains how actors on different levels exercise various forms of agency	Journal articles, the official website of a regional institution, and an official report

Note: *The cited source refers to a downloadable brochure about EnergyVaasa, produced in 2019 with the title ‘Establishing a battery factory’, as accessed from GigaVaasa (2022). This applies to all references cited as GigaVaasa (2022) in this list

Fig. 2. A future industrial site for the construction of battery plants (Photo: modified and reproduced with permission from a downloadable brochure titled ‘Establishing a battery factory’, produced by GigaVaasa in 2019 (GigaVaasa 2022))

Fig. 3. Place-based factors in the case of the GigaVaasa battery industry and their connections to diverse transition levels

Löfmarck, A., Lepola, A., Garberg Martinsen, K., Utriainen, M., Ilomäki, R. & Rintamäki, S. 2022. Nordic Battery Belt Logistics: Local & Regional Supply Chains and Logistics Solutions. https://www.kvarken.org/en/project/nordic-battery-belt-logistics-local-regional-supply-chains-and-logistics-solutions/ (accessed 22 November 2022).

 Google Scholar

City of Vaasa. 2022. ‘First streets in the battery factory area are completed – street infrastructure enables easy access to plots.’ https://www.vaasa.fi/en/news/first-streets-in-battery-factory-area-completed-street-infrastructure-enables-easy-access-to-plots/ (accessed 28 May 2024).

 Google Scholar

GigaVaasa. 2022. ‘Manufacture your future green batteries in Vaasa.’ https://www.gigavaasa.fi/ (accessed 22 November 2022).

 Google Scholar

Niemi, L. 2023. ‘Kiinalaisyhtiö suunnittelee Vaasan kylkeen 1,3 miljardin euron akkumateriaalitehdasta.’ https://www.hs.fi/talous/art-2000010058829.html (accessed 22 March 2024).

 Google Scholar

Okonkwo, E. 2022. An overview of the Nordic Battery Belt: An emerging network for cooperation within the Nordic battery cluster. Fennia 200(1), 52–67.

 Google Scholar

Varjonen, T. 2023. ‘Akkuteollisuuden tueksi tilaa tarvitaan muillekin toiminnoille – Giga-Vaasa miettii jo kakkosvaihetta’. https://yle.fi/a/74-20065248 (accessed March 2024).

 Google Scholar

VASEK. 2023. ‘Enhancement of battery industry value chain in GigaVaasa area.’ https://www.vasek.fi/vaasa-region-development-company/communication-and-information-2/news/enhancement-of-battery-industry-value-chain-in-gigavaasa-area (accessed 22 March 2024).

 Google Scholar

Aslani, A., Helo, P., Feng, B., Antila, E. & Hiltunen, E. 2013a. Renewable energy supply chain in Ostrobothnia region and Vaasa city: Innovative framework. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 23, 405–411.

 Web of Science ®Google Scholar

EnergyVaasa. 2019. ‘Establishing a battery factory?’ https://www.gigavaasa.fi/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/gigavaasa-battery-factory-brochure-web-1.pdf (accessed 17 November 2021).

 Google Scholar

O’Sullivan, J. 2022. ‘Finland’s future success powered by batteries.’ https://www.goodnewsfinland.com/news-spotlight/finland-future-success-powered-by-batteries/ (accessed 12 September 2022).

 Google Scholar

Peura, P., Voutilainen, O. & Kantola, J. 2022. From garbage to product and service systems: A longitudinal Finnish case study of waste management evolution. Waste Management 140, 143–153.

 PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar

Aslani, A., Naaranoja, M., Helo, P., Antila, E. & Hiltunen, E. 2013b. Energy diversification in Finland: Achievements and potential of renewable energy development. International Journal of Sustainable Energy 32(5), 504–514.

 Google Scholar

Both2nia project. 2022. ‘Analysis: Wind, industry, and hydrogen pipeline to bring Finland’s largest hydrogen plant to Kokkola’. https://www.both2nia.com/en/news/Analysis-wind-industry-and-hydrogen-pipeline-to-bring-Finland-s-largest-hydrogen-plant-to-Kokkola (accessed 23 November 2022).

 Google Scholar

City of Vaasa. 2024a. EnergyVaasa –The Nordic Hub for Energy Technology.’ https://www.vaasa.fi/en/energyvaasa/ (accessed 24 May 2024).

 Google Scholar

Haveri, J. 2018. ‘The largest Nordic energy technology hub flourishes in Vaasa.’ https://www.fingridlehti.fi/en/the-largest-nordic-energy-technology-hub-flourishes-in-vaasa/#e7ea202c (accessed 17 November 2021).

 Google Scholar

Mäenpää, A. 2021. The case study of Ostrobothnia. Perianez-Forte, I., Guzzo, F., Hegyi, F.B. & Gianelle, C. (eds.) Case Studies on Smart Specialisation 6–24. Publications Office of the European Union. https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC124478 (accessed 29 May 2024).

 Google Scholar

Paasi, A. 2012. Border studies reanimated: Going beyond the territorial/relational divide. Environment and Planning A 44(10), 2303–2309.

 Web of Science ®Google Scholar

Rasilainen, K., Eilu, P., Huovinen, I., Konnunaho, J., Niiranen, T., Ojala, J. & Törmänen, T. 2020. Quantitative assessment of undiscovered resources in Kuusamo-type Co-Au deposits in Finland. Geological Survey of Finland Bulletin 410. https://doi.org/10.30440/bt410 (accessed 24 May 2024).

 Google Scholar

Virkkala, S., Mäenpää, A. & Mariussen, Å. 2014. The Ostrobothnian Model of Smart Specialisation. University of Vaasa. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273013860_The_Ostrobothnian_Model_of_Smart_Specialisation (accessed 8 September 2022).

 Google Scholar

Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. 2021. National Battery Strategy 2025:Executive Summary. http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-327-725-0 (accessed 22 November 2022).

 Google Scholar

Wasaline. n.d. ‘Welcome to Aurora Botnia: A dash better.’ https://www.wasaline.com/en/our-ferry/ (accessed 22 November 2022).

 Google Scholar

European Commission. 2022. Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council: Progress on Competitiveness of Clean Energy Technologies. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52022DC0643&qid=1669913060946 (accessed 27 May 2024).

 Google Scholar

Merinova Technology Centre. 2023. ‘Information about us’. https://www.merinova.fi/en/merinova/about-us/ (accessed 12 June 2023).

 Google Scholar

University of Vaasa. n.d. ‘VEBIC: Vaasa Energy Business Innovation Centre’. https://www.uwasa.fi/en/research/research-platforms/vebic (accessed 22 November 2022).

 Google Scholar

Wärtsilä. 2021. ‘The Smart Technology Hub - an ecosystem of sustainable innovation and co-creation.’ https://www.sustainabletechnologyhub.com/the-smart-technology-hub-an-ecosystem-of-sustainable-innovation-and-co-creation/ (accessed 12 September 2022).

 Google Scholar