The Norwegian Minister of Petroleum and Energy announced the Research Council of Norway’s investment of EUR 20,271,400 in HYDROGENi: a new centre for environment-friendly energy research (FME) dedicated to hydrogen and ammonia.
This eight-year centre has enlisted over 50 industrial and academic partners, and innovation from the centre’s research is expected to be a key driver of the green shift in Norway, as well as create jobs and build expertise.
Hydrogen is a prerequisite for the energy transition globally, in Europe and in Norway. It will add strategic autonomy to the energy system, a highly relevant topic in Europe today. Hydrogen can make the energy system more resilient, but also help us achieve our net-zero target by 2050
believes Alexandra Bech Gjørv, CEO of SINTEF.
On the same wavelength, Anne Borg, rector at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), noted that “HYDROGENi will conduct research on how to build a sustainable hydrogen economy and educate competent candidates on an unprecedented scale in Norway.”
However, in order to realise hydrogen’s full potential, there are numerous knowledge and technical gaps that need to be filled. HYDROGENi aims to do just that.
For this reason, Nils Røkke, Executive Vice President of Sustainability at SINTEF Energy Research and Director of HYDROGENi, informed about the launch of an academic research programme, that will educate 35 PhD/postdoc students and over 100 MSc/BSc candidates.
What is more, HYDROGENi will lead the research and innovations needed to meet the 2030 and 2050 goals of the Norwegian hydrogen roadmap. Its work to build a sustainable hydrogen economy will focus on four main research areas:
- Cost-efficient and scalable production.
- Transport and storage in Norway and Europe.
- End-use technologies.
- Safety and material integrity.
