Germany is in talks with Norway over the possibility of importing large volumes of hydrogen, potentially via a pipeline, as it ramps up efforts to reduce its dependence on Russian fossil fuels following the invasion of Ukraine.

The two governments have agreed to “rapidly” commission a joint feasibility study on developing the supply into Germany of green and—for a transition period—blue hydrogen.

“Over the coming months and years, it will be extremely important to speed up the development of alternative energy sources for Europe as substitutes for Russian gas and oil and to develop the necessary infrastructure for this,” the governments said in a joint statement following the talks this week.

“Germany would like to see Norway become a future partner for the production and supply of hydrogen,” they add.

Norway is a favourable location for green hydrogen production because of its abundant supply of cheap hydroelectric power and other renewables, says consultancy Aurora Energy Research in a recent study.

“Germany would like to see Norway become a future partner for the production and supply of hydrogen” German and Norwegian governments

Germany’s readiness to import blue hydrogen highlights the scale of the challenge it faces in reducing its 60pc dependence on Russian gas. Domestically, Germany has largely shunned blue hydrogen production and carbon capture and storage (CCS), with its strategy weighted heavily towards green hydrogen. In contrast, the UK’s hydrogen strategy emphasises a twin-track approach, leaving room for the development of both green and blue varieties of the fuel.

Germany and Norway stress they will “ensure environmental and climate integrity by establishing for example the highest possible standards for [CCS]”.

The scope of the two countries’ cooperation on the transition could also include German imports of power generated by offshore wind and the joint development of technologies including batteries and green shipping, the two governments say.

Hydrogen diplomacy

Germany was already developing trade links with potential hydrogen suppliers before the Ukraine crisis as it is expected to meet at least half of its hydrogen demand via imports. Its strategy has included the establishment of hydrogen diplomacy offices in potential supplier countries.

Earlier this month, Germany signed a memorandum of understanding on hydrogen with Saudi Arabia. It has also set up an office in Ukraine, the status of which is unclear.

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Author: Stuart Penson