Norway has unveiled its hydrogen strategy, pitching its development as a “story of hope” for the future, Kallanish Energy reports.
Oil and energy minister Tina Bru said in an industry event last week that hydrogen offers “hope for a new world with low emissions. Hope for disruptive change. Hope for new industry and new jobs within a green future.”
The Scandinavian country, which is the third-largest gas exporter in the world, believes that to produce hydrogen from gas, carbon capture storage (CCS) technologies are “prerequisite.”
“Today, high production costs, and immature production technology make hydrogen costly,” said Bru. “For green hydrogen, the cost of electrolyzers must come down, while the energy efficiency in production must come up.”
The government announced in late May it would allocate NOK 3.6 billion ($380 million) of its green restructuring package to support hydrogen projects, as well as other renewable projects.
Power used for electrolysis is already tax-exempt in Norway, giving the country a competitive advantage compared to other European nations, the minister added.
Bru told the hydrogen seminar: “I want you to be ambitious … I want you to see new potential and new possibilities. I want you to bring forward new projects. I want you to invest with us for success.”
“We have secured funding that has gone up … Now we need the many big and small projects that can take the story of hydrogen further,” she added.
The government wants to increase the number of pilot and demonstration projects in Norway by contributing to and supporting technology development and commercialization.
The maritime sector, heavy transport, and industrial sector stand out as “the most relevant” sectors to use hydrogen in Norway. The goal is to move from grey hydrogen — currently produced from fossil fuel without CCS; to blue hydrogen – produced with CCS; and finally to green hydrogen – carbon-free fuel produced from renewables.
