Press release, January 26, 2023

“Bavarian-Norwegian Hydrogen Forum”: Norwegian delegation visits Bavaria on January 24-25

MUNICH / AUGSBURG: A 22-member Norwegian delegation from politics and industry traveled to Bavaria on January 24-25 to engage in exchange with key hydrogen stakeholders from Bavaria. During the hydrogen delegation trip, political round tables, B2B networking between Norwegian and Bavarian companies, company visits and a Bavarian evening for bilateral exchange and networking took place.

Participants of the political round table included Bavaria’s Minister of Economic Affairs and Energy Hubert Aiwanger and Melanie Huml, Minister for Europe and International Relations. State Secretary Amund Vik (Ministry of Petroleum and Energy) attended from the Norwegian side. The dialogue between the nearly 50 representatives from politics and industry focused on current obstacles to the ramp-up of the hydrogen economy in Europe as well as starting points for cooperation between Norway and Bavaria.

Hubert Aiwanger, Minister of Energy and Economic Affairs, stated with regard to future hydrogen supplies from Norway: “Hydrogen will become the backbone of the energy transition. That is why the development of a hydrogen network in Europe has top priority. The federal government and the EU must now establish the framework conditions as quickly as possible so that investments can be made towards a European hydrogen network with links to Norway and Bavaria”.

Bavaria’s Minister for European Affairs, Melanie Huml, said: “Green hydrogen is of central importance for achieving our climate targets. Bavaria must import hydrogen to meet its needs. The state government is therefore also advocating for suitable legal framework conditions at EU level to enable the rapid and efficient development and expansion of the hydrogen infrastructure. In addition, our international partnerships are extremely valuable for this. As a pioneer in renewable energies and in the production of green hydrogen, Norway is an important partner for Europe and for Bavaria.”

Dr. Fabian Pfaffenberger (H2.B, Managing Director): “With the Bavarian-Norwegian Hydrogen Forum, we are continuing the already existing valuable cooperation with the NHF and other Norwegian hydrogen stakeholders and further advancing the bilateral cooperation agreed upon in June 2022 on an economic and political level through strategic dialogues and targeted networking. We sense a great interest in Bavarian hydrogen technology, especially for commercial vehicles. At the same time, Norway is already an important energy supplier for Germany and Bavaria and will also be in the future in the field of hydrogen. We are therefore pleased about the fruitful talks and are confident that the good economic cooperation will soon be reflected in further joint hydrogen projects.”

Ingebjørg Telnes Wilhelmsen (NHF, Secretary General): “According to the Menon report that was published in November 2022, the Norwegian industry’s total expectation for export and revenue abroad in 2030 is estimated to 61 billion NOK (5,7 billion EUR). Bavaria has an impressive roadmap and goals for hydrogen consumption for 2040, as well as leading technology expertise in several areas. There are therefore substantial opportunities for closer collaboration between Norwegian and Bavarian companies to build up a hydrogen market in and between both places. NHF highly appreciates the opportunity to be part of this great event, and we look forward to further cooperation between Bavaria and Norway. Together, I am confident that we will see a long term and fruitful development of export of hydrogen and partnerships on concrete projects in both countries. This delegation trip will hopefully also bring us closer to receiving German hydrogen heavy duty vehicles on Norwegian Roads.“

The hydrogen trip was jointly organized by H2.B, the Norwegian Hydrogen Forum (NHF), the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Berlin, AHK Norway, Innovation Norway and the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs.

During company visits, Bavarian companies were able to present their technologies and know-how and discuss concrete cooperation opportunities with the Norwegian company representatives. Visits were made to BMW Research and Technology House and Linde Gas / Linde Engineering in the Munich region, as well as MAN Energy Solutions and H-TEC Systems in Augsburg.

In June 2022, the H2.B and the NHF signed a joint agreement on strategic cooperation. On a political level, the Free State of Bavaria and Norway agreed to expand their good cooperation in the field of energy supply.