The new hydrogen bridge between Berlin and Oslo

A new partnership between Germany and Norway aims to build the world's largest infrastructure for the transport of hydrogen, first blue and then green

• On his second trip to Norway, German Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck signed a “Strategic Partnership on Renewable Energy for Climate and Green Industry”
• The agreement involves the construction of a hydrogen pipeline that will first bring gas, then blue hydrogen and, finally, green hydrogen from the Norwegian Sea to Germany
• The Partnership aims to strengthen cooperation between the two countries, ensure continuous supply to Germany and stimulate the growth of an industry with reduced environmental impact

In a context of strong political and economic instability, In the March 2022 the first visit to Oslo of the German vice-chancellor Robert Habeck laid the foundations for the realization of a project of historic importance:the construction of a hydrogen pipeline between Norway and Germany, i.e. a plant to transport hydrogen over long distances via pipelines.At the dawn of 2023, on the occasion of the second official trip of the German vice-chancellor, the confirmation of this choice opened a new trajectory on the road to energy transition.

How the agreement between Germany and Norway was born

Last January 5, during a press conference, the Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Støre announced the establishment between Norway and Germany of a “Strategic partnership on renewable energy for the climate and green industry“.

At the base the desire, as explained to the press, “to create new industries and green jobs” and to “strengthen cooperation in the field ofhydrogen, of theoffshore wind, from the batteries, of carbon dioxide capture and storage, del maritime transport with reduced environmental impact, microelectronics and raw materials“.

Ensure the country has abundant supplies of gas to be burned appears to be a priority for Germany, as noted by Habeck:“Norway is our most important energy supplier today and should continue to be so on the path to a climate-neutral future.”

The security and convenience of energy supply

The hydrogen bridge between the two countries, historic consumers of fossil fuels, is considered the way cheaper to transport fuel e safer to ensure continuity in the'supply of energy.The promoters themselves are convinced of this:“Today we receive most of our natural gas from Norway, but in the future we want to import more and more offshore wind energy and hydrogen,” underlined the vice-chancellor.

The project will proceed in stages.At first, it will be exploited blue hydrogen, produced from natural gas with the capture and storage of carbon dioxide.Only at a later stage will we move on to hydrogen green, produced from renewable electricity.

The hydrogen bridge project

The route that the hydrogen pipeline will follow is already mapped out:it will start from natural gas fields in the Norwegian Sea to reach the coasts of Germany, in German Frisia.Once on land, the hydrogen will be distributed via ainfrastructure, still to be built.“Our common understanding is that large-scale hydrogen transport between Norway, Germany and the European Union will rest on a solid technical and financial basis,” the two sides said.

The outcome of the trial is expected in the spring of this year feasibility study.Meanwhile, some of the main energy companies of the two countries have signed a memorandum of understanding for jointly develop energy projects large scale.Among these, Equinor, a state-owned Norwegian oil group, e RWE, German electricity company, which have signed an agreement to build new power plants in Germany, powered first by gas, then by blue hydrogen and, finally, by green hydrogen.

The hydrogen bridge is seen as a seal of good relations between the two states, united by their respective ambitions:on the one hand, Germany, which aims to reach the carbon neutrality by 2045;on the other hand, Norway is interested in exploiting the potential of its natural gas resources and, therefore, blue hydrogen.

For the use of renewable sources and green hydrogen we will certainly have to wait a few years.In the meantime, you can observe – and try to limit – the fort impact in economic, environmental terms – think of the land consumption – and social ones deriving from the realization of the work.Which, certainly at the beginning, will do nothing more than transport an old "friend", natural gas, risking undermining the success of the European objectives of decarbonisation, the containment of the effects of climate change and the growth ofgreen industry.