Hard questions, high-stakes decisions: inside site selection

Site selectors hired by companies assess whether a region has the prerequisites for profitable operations. According to a Amsterdam-based advisor, an impartial perspective serves the client best. Tampere region is aiming to become a leader in hydrogen and energy. What do site selectors focus on during their visits?

Text and photos: Petri Kangas / Business Tampere

The zoning process must be completed or at least underway.

The local labour market needs to appear credible. This means an appropriate level of education, a sufficiently large talent pool or, at the very least, a clear strategy for developing both.

What is the condition of the infrastructure? Water and wastewater? Electricity? Transport connections?

The land-use and technical status of the area must also be verified. Is the site suitable for construction, and are the required environmental assessments and permits in place?

On a broader level, it is important to ensure that the overall picture is aligned and that the local community perceives the investment as welcome, so that the project does not face opposition.

A site selector’s checklist is long, with many boxes to tick.

“The fewer open questions there are related to the overall package, the better,” site selector Nicholette Ross says, adding:

“We are genuinely impartial when advising companies on location decisions. We take a step back and look at the whole picture: we analyze the situation, determine what the company truly needs, and listen carefully to both the starting points and long-term goals. I enjoy my work because our objective is to find a solution that serves both the company and the region in the best possible way.”

Leon Stille (New Energy Institute), Ruut-Maaria Rissanen (Regional Council of Pirkanmaa), Juha Rintamäki (Tampere Water), Nicholette Ross (Global Location Strategies) and Oliver Hussey (Business Tampere).

Energy, water, geopolitics

Ross visited Tampere in mid-January this year to attend the Hydrogen Summit & Expo event. The two-day event was held for the second time, with the venue at the Tampere Exhibition and Sports Centre.

Ross works for the South Carolina-based consulting firm Global Location Strategies, which describes its work as “a specialist advisory firm for industrial and manufacturing companies, focused on site selection and the negotiation of investment incentives.”

Originally from the same US East Coast state, Ross is currently based in Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

Among her most recent assignments, she highlights a USD 4 billion aluminium smelter investment planned for Oklahoma by Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA).

Visiting the Tampere region for the first time, Ross praised the area’s strong industrial foundation and long-standing traditions, which still partly underpin today’s momentum.

In Ross’s work, location and the site itself are always under close scrutiny.

She identifies energy, water and geopolitical developments as three key current and future trends.

“Energy has become central. That is why a hydrogen-focused event is right at the core of current discussions. Availability, generation mix and price volatility weigh heavily on decision-making, and their importance varies from project to project. Water availability is also becoming increasingly critical. In addition, geopolitical developments are having a more direct impact on investment assessments,” she says.

Host Lotta Merenmies and Deputy Mayor, City of Tampere, Jaakko Mustakallio (Green League).

More than just talk

“When we meet site selectors, we are effectively on a sales tour, both at company level and regionally. We present our strengths, but we do not shy away from difficult issues, because they will surface sooner or later anyway,” says Tuomas Vanhanen, Program Manager at Business Tampere.

Vanhanen notes that Business Tampere and its partners have plenty of concrete assets to offer site selectors, as well as companies considering Pirkanmaa as a location.

“Our information services provide up-to-date data on companies and economic vitality in the Tampere city region. In the near future, our aim is to offer even more useful data on the capacity of local infrastructure to accommodate investments,” Vanhanen says, referring to the Business Tampere Data online service.

Vanhanen analyses Pirkanmaa from the perspective of hydrogen and energy projects. While the region’s relatively remote European location may sometimes be perceived as a disadvantage, key resources for the hydrogen economy can turn this into a competitive edge.

“In Finland and Sweden, for example, there are pulp mills and other industrial facilities that provide access to biogenic carbon dioxide. There is also green electricity available, and a large number of wind and solar power projects in the pipeline, waiting to be paired with e-methane investments,” Vanhanen explains.

“Finland’s wholesale electricity price was the lowest among European price zones that include capital cities. When the comparison also includes the northernmost price zones of Sweden and Norway, electricity was the third cheapest in Europe,” Vanhanen says, referring to a recent study by Finnish Energy Industries. He refers to a recent report.

According to Vanhanen, the Nordic and Baltic countries share a common ambition to establish an energy highway connection to Germany, where there is demand for hydrogen derivatives.

“At the local level, the Tampere Chamber of Commerce, political and administrative leadership, and infrastructure companies are eager to support investments. The strategies of Business Finland and Business Tampere are very well aligned when it comes to energy projects, with shared focus areas. And we also have an EU office, whose spearhead team is actively engaged in advocacy and groundwork in Brussels,” Vanhanen says.

A lot underway

There is a great deal happening in the Tampere region to promote the growth of the green transition and renewable energy.

Aamulehti reported during the 2026 event on the future outlook of energy company Freija (14 January): “The company announced on Wednesday that it has signed long-term clean fuel offtake agreements. Their volume is three times the capacity of the first plant. In practice, this indicates that there is demand for e-methane.”

At present, Business Tampere is involved in the JETSKIR and Reco Energy projects. The JETSKIR project supports the just transition of European industrial areas towards a more sustainable and competitive future.

The Reco Energy project focuses on improving energy efficiency in the Tampere region, promoting low-carbon solutions and increasing the use of renewable energy. Tuomas Vanhanen serves as its Program Manager.

At last year’s event, Tampereen Energia and Ren-Gas agreed on the utilization of carbon dioxide emissions and waste heat. A well-functioning district heating network, reliable electricity infrastructure and major hydrogen economy projects create the conditions for the region to emerge as a leading hydrogen hub, assessed Business Tampere energy expert Mika Kolari at the time.

Vanhanen shares this view with his colleague Kolari.

“In Europe, we are considering how ready we are to reduce emissions and what we are willing to pay. A key question is what kind of price premium is acceptable for domestic or EU-produced fuels compared with energy sources that depend, for example, on our eastern neighbour. At the initial stage, investments are expensive, but with the help of subsidies and obligations, markets can be built in a way that gradually makes operations profitable. Buyers also play a crucial role: through long-term commitments, they make investments possible,” Vanhanen says.

More on the topic in our news: Energy transition advances in Tampere despite global climate policy headwinds (12 January 2026)