Nordic Energy Research

On behalf of the Nordic Committee of Senior Officials for Energy Policies and under the guidance of the Nordic Steering Group, Nordic Energy Research is happy to announce that the consultancy company COWI has been selected to carry out the upcoming study on hydrogen, electro-fuels, CCU (Carbon Capture and Utilisation) and CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) in a Nordic context.

The Nordic region has ambitious plans and strategies for the green transition and has large potentials within innovative technologies such as Power-2-X and CCUS. By mapping the conditions, opportunities and obstacles for innovative technologies, the Nordic countries will increase their chance of successful development and deployment in the coming years. This comprehensive and significant task will be carried out by the consulting firm, COWI and their skilled project team during the next couple of months. The team will help create an essential overview of the status for hydrogen, electro-fuels, CCU and CCS in the Nordic countries and assess strengths and potential synergies from a Nordic perspective. The study will also map out how the Nordic countries can maintain their leading role in the energy and climate transition through technological progress. In other words, this study forms an important basis for future projects within these fields.

A momentum for technology development

The international focus on hydrogen and its applications – as well as CCS and CCU – as contributing to the goals of achieving a carbon neutral society is growing steadily. This is illustrated by the wide range of activities taking place within the research community, but also by the growing industrial interest for the commercial possibilities that come with these technologies. In addition, more and more countries are also developing their own national strategies within each specific field, including several of the Nordic countries. These developing frameworks and the increasingly favorable environments have created a momentum in the technology development in the Nordic region, which makes things move quickly but also somewhat difficult to grasp.

‘’We are very pleased that COWI will be responsible for carrying out a comprehensive report of the status for hydrogen, electro-fuels, CCU and CCS in the Nordic region. An overview of the area with the existing support measures and policies as well as a technical and economic status, is much-needed in my opinion’’ says Lise-Lotte Pade, Chairperson of the Nordic Steering Group, and continues;  ‘’It will also be interesting to hear COWI’s findings on the benefits and the risks that comes off these technologies. Although the technologies are very important tools in our fight against climate change, it is also crucial to understand how the technologies might affect other parts of our society, for example our cherished environment or our exceptional Nordic business sector. We need the full picture to strike a balance between pros and cons of large-scale deployment of these technologies in our respective countries. We are confident that COWI will provide us with an excellent such.’’