This year, Nordic Energy Research participated in all the Scandinavian democracy festivals, hosting three sessions focusing on hydrogen and hydrogen valleys. With valuable input from experts across sectors, we discussed the Nordics’ potential to assume an internationally leading role on hydrogen-based climate solutions. How can each Nordic country contribute to a position of strength within hydrogen for the Nordic region as a whole? But also, in what ways can Nordic cooperation help promote strengths related to hydrogen nationally? These questions were highlighted from a Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian point of view respectively, at Folkemødet, Almedalsveckan, and Arendalsuka.

A common feature of all our sessions was a presentation of early results from the report “Mapping Nordic Hydrogen Valleys“, which will be launched this autumn. Based on the findings thus far, the democracy festival panelists shared knowledge on the possibilities of hydrogen and hydrogen valleys. An essential conclusion was that there are many excellent hydrogen projects underway in the Nordic region. But also, each Nordic country has its own area of expertise to bring to the hydrogen table, as their different strengths can be combined into a joint Nordic position of strength along the hydrogen value chain. More detailed results will be presented when the report is released in full.

Arendsalsuka

According to the Mapping Nordic Hydrogen Valleys report’s initial results, Norway holds a lot of promise in the development of hydrogen value chains. Norway has the highest amount of planned hydrogen valley projects in the Nordic region, and the country has unique potential for blue hydrogen, which can be used to significantly increase production capacity.

The Norwegian potential was also highlighted by the panel of experts during Nordic Energy Research’s session at Arendalsuka. There was wide agreement on the Nordic region’s exceptional situation of trust between partners across sectors. For instance, Fridtjof Unander, Chief Economist, Aker Horizons, emphasised good Nordic partnerships – Sweden with its industry, Denmark with its maritime business. Additionally, Unander mentioned Norway’s role in ensuring a sustainable and secure energy supply for Europe, where Norwegian hydropower can be used as a stabiliser to ensure steady production. The importance of Nordic-European cooperation was also pointed out by Nils Røkke, Executive Vice President Sustainability, SINTEF. At the same time, he acknowledge that research on hydrogen developments and CCS is not advancing quickly enough if we are to reach our 2030 targets.

This expressed need for faster progress within hydrogen was another point that the panelists had in common. Edina Ringdal Wickholm, Director Decarbonisation Policy and Partnerships, Yara International, said that blue hydrogen in particular needs to be scaled up, as it can be used to significantly increase sustainable energy production capacity, while Ada Martine Jakobsen, CEO, Maritime CleanTech, emphasised that Norwegian maritime companies, although being world leaders in initiating hydrogen projects, are not moving forward fast enough. “The industry has the will, but we need to ensure that we implement value chains that ensure faster realisation. We have a maritime cluster that is responsible for many of the ‘world’s firsts’, but now our clusters need support to further develop the sector. We have good results from our pilot projects – now we need to secure funding to develop the entire value chain,” according to Jakobsen.

Moderator Rune Volla, Director, the Research Council of Norway. Photo: Nils Arne Haagensen.

From left: Ada Martine Jakobsen, CEO, Maritime CleanTech, Edina Ringdal Wickholm, Director Decarbonisation Policy and Partnerships, Yara International, Nils Røkke, Executive Vice President Sustainability, SINTEF, and Fridtjof Unander, Chief Economist, Aker Horizons. Photo: Nils Arne Haagensen.

Almedalsveckan

The discussions about hydrogen were viewed through a Swedish lens during our well-attended session at Almedalsveckan, where it was made clear that Sweden has a great deal to add in strengthening the Nordic hydrogen role. There was a broad consensus among the panelists that Nordic cooperation in the energy field is important for Sweden, and they called attention to the transition of the maritime sector as well as the production of green hydrogen and fossil-free steel. For example, Christer Bruzelius, Senior Partner and Project Owner of Gotland Tech Development, described how well suited the Gotland ferries are to run on hydrogen, but that there is a lack of regulations that enable a hydrogen economy with sufficient production in place when the ferries will be ready in just a few years.

Both Cecilia Wallmark, Director of the hydrogen initiative CH2ESS at Luleå University of Technology, and Bjorn Aronsson, Managing Director at Hydrogen Sweden, emphasised that Sweden has good conditions for hydrogen developments, such as well-developed research collaborations with the other Nordic countries and that academia and industry work closely together. However, Aronsson also cautioned that efforts are urgent to realise the potential of hydrogen and that a national hydrogen strategy is needed to achieve the 2030 goals.

In addition, the energy policy spokespersons Camilla Brodin from the Christian Democrates and Fredrik Olovsson from the Swedish Social Democratic Party highlighted the importance of increased cooperation between authorities at all levels, of expanding the Swedish electricity system, and how public procurement can be used as a tool to bring about change.

From left: Moderator Marie Claesson, Bjorn Aronsson, Managing Director at Hydrogen Sweden, Cecilia Wallmark, Director of the hydrogen initiative CH2ESS at Luleå University of Technology, Christer Bruzelius, Senior Partner and Project Owner of Gotland Tech Development, Camilla Brodin, Spokesperson on energy policy for the Christian Democrates, and Fredrik Olovsson, Spokesperson on energy policy for the Swedish Social Democratic Party. Photo: Annelie Riggo.

Marie Claesson, Chair of the Board for Nordic Energy Research and Program Manager of the Swedish Energy Agency, and Kevin Johnsen, COO of Nordic Energy Research. Photo: Annelie Riggo.

Folkemødet

When we held our session at Folkemødet, we asked how Denmark can contribute to and benefit from Nordic cooperation for the development of hydrogen valleys. According to the early results of the Mapping Nordic Hydrogen Valleys report, Denmark currently has many hydrogen hotspots that very well could be expanded into fully-fledged hydrogen valleys.

Drawing from these findings, Marie Münster, Professor in Energy System Analysis and member of the Danish Council on Climate Change, as well as Marianne Bigum, Member of the Danish Parliament and Environmental Engineer, Green Left, emphasised biodiversity in relation to hydrogen production. The climate and biodiversity crises raise the issue of spatial planning, which affects the development of offshore wind infrastructure – an energy source that has significant potential for producing green hydrogen in Denmark.

Offshore wind power was further commented by Tejs Laustsen Jensen, CEO, Hydrogen Denmark, who said that with regard to hydrogen production, it’s crucial to harvest as much as possible of Danish offshore wind energy potential. Stine Grenaa Jensen, Vice President, System Development, Energinet, concurred to this, saying that there is a huge need for hydrogen due to its pivotal part in the green transition.

Marie Münster, Professor in Energy System Analysis and member of the Danish Council on Climate Change, Tejs Laustsen Jensen, CEO, Hydrogen Denmark, and Marianne Bigum, Member of the Danish Parliament and Environmental Engineer, Green Left.

Moderator Claus Meineche, Head of Office for EUDP, Danish Energy Agency.

We would like to thank all the panelists, audience members, and organisers for contributing to interesting and highly relevant discussions at all our sessions this summer!

Nordic Hydrogen Valleys Conference 2025

Would you like to delve further into the potential of Nordic hydrogen and hydrogen valleys? Save the date for the upcoming Nordic Hydrogen Valleys Conference! The conference takes place in Luleå, Sweden, on 22–23 January 2025, where you will get to meet the five projects funded within the Nordic Hydrogen Valleys as Energy Hubs Programme as well as explore issues ranging from technical recommendations to social acceptance.

Registration to the conference opens in September.