Exploring the potential for a European Hydrogen Valley in Western Norway

The workshop "Hydrogen in Europe - and in Western Norway," held in the University Aula at the University of Bergen on September 28th, marked an important step towards mobilizing and informing stakeholders in Western Norway about the opportunities in the field of hydrogen, especially with regard to the Horizon Europe program.

The goal was to encourage more applications with hydrogen as the main theme while exploring opportunities to strengthen collaboration in Western Norway through the establishment of a "Hydrogen Valley." Three different EU networks were behind the event: Ocean of Opportunities, Horizon Rogaland, and Horizon Vestland. In addition, five different industry clusters participated: Energy Transition Norway, GCE Ocean Technology, Maritime Cleantech, Norwegian Offshore Wind, and Ocean Hyway Cluster in the planning and execution. Vestlandsrådet and Energiomstilling Vest were also involved.

Several promising hydrogen projects, initiatives, and industrial activities were presented.

- We hope that this is the starting signal for the establishment of a European Hydrogen Valley in Western Norway. From Egersund to Ålesund, a significant portion of Norway's hydrogen projects are underway, spanning the entire value chain - we must leverage this to position ourselves internationally, EU Advisor Kristoffer Moldekleiv at Energy Transition Norway said.

Showcasing promising Hydrogen initiatives

Among the projects that were highlighted were HyValue - a NORCE-led center aimed at developing knowledge, methodology, and innovative solutions for hydrogen energy carriers, and HySchool - a collaborative project between seven universities in Norway and numerous industrial partners.

The latter is aimed at contributing to the energy transition by enhancing the quality of Norwegian doctoral education in the use of hydrogen and hydrogen-based fuels as energy carriers.

During the discussion on "What is happening in the field of hydrogen in Western Norway today?" Celine Solstad from Ocean Hyway Cluster showed a map illustrating ongoing hydrogen activities in Norway. The map clearly indicated that there is already a significant effort on the west coast of Norway to develop hydrogen as a key energy source – approximately half of Norway's around 80 hydrogen projects are located along the west coast.

Terje Hauan presented Seid and their ColdSpark project, as well as the Risavika Hydrogen Hub initiative, while Arild Johansen described the Robinson project and Dalane Energi's other planned hydrogen activities in Egersund.

Thor Magnus Rorvik from Fortescue Future Industries Norway presented the Holmaneset project in Bremanger, and Jan Norbeck from Maritime Cleantech presented the Hydra project by Norled.

Towards a sustainable Hydrogen future

These presentations showcase the significant activity, breadth, and ambitions that already exist within the hydrogen industry in Western Norway, making it a natural candidate region to qualify for the EU Hydrogen Valley program.

A "Hydrogen Valley" is defined as a geographical area where multiple hydrogen applications are integrated into an ecosystem.

Through such an initiative, complementary expertise, infrastructure, capacity, technology, resources, capital, and ambition can be combined along the entire value chain, across sectors, to create a sustainable hydrogen economy.

An example of an existing European hydrogen valley is the Dutch Heavenn, established in 2020. The composition, activities, and results of this project were presented by Geerte de Jong, Programme Manager at Heavenn.

During the panel discussion moderated by Karianne Kojen Andersen, Innovation Manager at GCE Ocean Technology, and Kristoffer Moldekleiv, EU Advisor at Energy Transition Norway, the discussion revolved around what it takes to establish a similar hydrogen valley or a "hydrogen coast," which may be a more fitting term in a Norwegian context.

Hans Kleivdal from NORCE emphasized the need for suitable test facilities for rapid technology assessment and scaling up of new processes and value chains before investment decisions are made. He pointed out that uncertainty about overall concepts and the lack of documentation are often obstacles to making investment decisions in hydrogen projects.

Therefore, the workshop "Hydrogen in Europe - and in Western Norway" was an important step in bringing together and mobilizing resources, knowledge, and efforts in Western Norway to shape the future of hydrogen as a sustainable energy source, not only at the regional level but also at the European level through participation in the Horizon Europe program.