Germany needs large quantities of hydrogen to meet its climate targets. By 2030, they must phase out all coal-fired power plants, and here Norway can play an important role as an exporter of hydrogen. Last year, the Norwegian and German authorities commissioned a study of the possibility of establishing a hydrogen value chain from potential hydrogen producers in Norway to consumers in Germany. The state gas operator, Gassco, has carried out the study together with the German energy agency DENA. Now the conclusion is clear. – The study shows that it is technically possible to realize a value chain for low-carbon hydrogen to Germany before 2030, says Pål Rasmussen in Gassco. He further says that the study is important because a value chain like this will greatly reduce emissions. Pål Rasmussen is press spokesperson at Gassco. Photo: Gassco – We take the gas that is produced on the Norwegian continental shelf, turn it into hydrogen and capture CO₂, explains Rasmussen. The emissions from the new product are thus reduced by 90 per cent compared to today’s natural gas. Hydrogen can either be transported by reusing already existing gas pipes in the North Sea, or by building new ones. The alternative is in connection with the processing facilities at Aukra, Kollsnes and Kårstø. Later, this can form the basis for the production of renewable hydrogen. Minister of Petroleum and Energy, Terje Aasland, spoke a few days ago at EU Hydrogen Week in Brussels. There, in his speech, he encouraged people to come together to shape a hydrogen-powered future in Europe. Photo: EILIF ASLAKSEN / news – A milestone has been reached The government believes that hydrogen can be an important factor on the way to a low-emission society. The Minister of Oil and Energy, Terje Aasland, has previously stated that Norway will actively contribute to the development of a commercial hydrogen market in Germany and the EU. In connection with the presentation of this study, he says that he looks forward to following the further work. – This is a milestone, says Aasland. Nils Røkke is director of sustainability at Sintef. He believes the biggest challenge for large-scale hydrogen supply to Germany is the price of hydrogen. Photo: Marthe Svendsen / news Long canvas to bleach Although the report says it is technically feasible to transport hydrogen to Germany, there is a lot of work to be done before the project can become a reality. Customers must be willing to pay, regulations and new technology must be in place. – The biggest challenge is price. Hydrogen must come down to a price that makes it natural to choose it, says renewable energy director Nils Røkke at Sintef. Today, hydrogen is more expensive than natural gas. He believes that support schemes must be put in place for the costs in a transitional phase. Contracts for difference mean that the supplier is guaranteed a certain price, by the state financing the intermediate (difference) between the price of fossil and green solutions. Røkke believes the new study is positive and means that Norway can continue to be an energy supplier to Europe. – In the short term, the solution is probably not to bring hydrogen to the thousands of homes in Germany, but to look at large consumers such as the steel industry, says Røkke. Working group to follow up the work further The Norwegian and German governments agreed in the autumn to establish a working group which will now follow up the results of this study. When the working group became known, Germany’s Minister of Industry and Climate, Robert Habeck, stated in a press release that through this working group the next step is taken towards the common goal of large-scale hydrogen supply from Norway to Germany. Pål Rasmussen at Gassco is confident that the ambitious goal will be realized by 2030, but there is still a lot of work to be done in all stages of the project. – We have to find a solution to these assumptions that the study shows, but I can already say that there is dialogue about the way forward between the industry players involved in this work, says Rasmussen.
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Study from Gassco shows that it is possible to transport hydrogen from Norway to Germany – news Møre og Romsdal – Local news, TV and radio
