The Agder region is gathering support to apply for a European hydrogen project worth NOK 230 million. "We have already received commitments from strong industry players and organizations. The aim is to bring together the entire hydrogen value chain and apply for an EU hydrogen region project. "If we succeed, this could take Agder's hydrogen industry to a new level," says Alice Leland Høye, project manager at Business Region Kristiansand.

Agder is already a leading Norwegian region for hydrogen, with one hydrogen plant under construction, an investment decision by Å Energi to build another plant, and several major projects in the pipeline. On Tuesday, an Agder delegation met with senior executives from the Clean Hydrogen Partnership during European Hydrogen Week in Brussels. This public-private partnership supports research and innovation activities in hydrogen technologies in Europe.

"We would like to see a hydrogen region in Norway," said CEO Valerie Bouillon-Delporte and Operations Manager Mirela Atanasiu during the meeting. The next call from the Clean Hydrogen Partnership is planned for January, with an application deadline in April. A large-scale project could receive €20 million in EU funding over 4 to 5 years.

"The input from the senior managers was very useful. They also invited us to another meeting to discuss more details. Now it's up to us. We believe the Agder region is fully qualified to become a large-scale hydrogen region, of which there are only four in all of Europe," says Høye.

Agder H2 Nettverk is a strong supporter of the hydrogen region initiative. "Our region and our network are made up of companies that are ready and willing to participate in this. This shows how far the Agder industry has come in a short period of time," says Tanja Erichsen, head of Agder H2 Nettverk.

Trond Backer, CEO of the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise in the Kristiansand region, agrees. "Hydrogen is gaining momentum and materializing in our region, especially with the construction of a new hydrogen factory in Kristiansand. We will support this initiative," says Backer.

European Hydrogen Week in Brussels brought together visitors and more than 220 exhibitors from all over the world, including a Norwegian pavilion with over 20 companies present. Inge Hedenstad Stangeland, project manager in Kvinesdal municipality, where some major green ammonia projects are being planned, spent two days in Brussels making contacts with the European and global hydrogen industry.

"It's important to get the European perspective on hydrogen, which is often different from the Norwegian perspective. It provides greater insight and helps us to succeed in this emerging industry," says Stangeland.

A report from Hydrogen Europe shows that despite shortcomings, the past year has shown many promising signs that the global hydrogen market is taking off. Not only in Europe, but also in China, India, Japan and the Middle East, investments in clean hydrogen production are growing rapidly.

"However, the job is far from finished with only 4 percent of the announced clean hydrogen volumes in Europe under construction," according to the report.