International ambitions combined with a strong desire for Norway to lead the way
The goal is to become the leading hydrogen provider for ships, heavy-duty transport and a wide range of other industrial segments in the Nordics. With newly opened offices in Sweden, Denmark and Finland, Norwegian Hydrogen is now a truly Nordic player. However, their international ambitions are combined with a concern that their own home country is losing ground.
A lot has happened for the Ålesund-based company Norwegian Hydrogen since it was founded in 2020. In August 2022 many doors opened globally when the Japanese trading company Mitsui & Co. Ltd. became the second largest owner.
CEO Jens Berge has great plans for Norwegian Hydrogen’s growth in 2023. Photo: Kristin Støylen.
Norwegian Hydrogen kickstarted 2023 by acquiring the Finnish refueling station company HydRe Oy. At the end of 2023, Norwegian Hydrogen will reach another milestone when the hydrogen factory at Hellesylt starts to produce green hydrogen. And there will probably be many milestones in between as well.
With so much going on we reached out to CEO Jens Berge for a chat about their international ambitions.
Why is Norwegian Hydrogen strengthening its presence in Sweden, Denmark and Finland?
We’ve actually had a quite strong presence in these countries for while, and by opening offices and hiring country managers, we make sure that there are people on the ground who can manage these activities on a day-to-day basis and also focus on further expansion into the same markets, explains CEO Berge.
Norwegian Hydrogen is a true Nordic player, so it was just a question of time before the team in Norway was unable to handle everything from Ålesund and Oslo.
Also, looking at the people who decided to join us in Sweden, Denmark and Finland, it’s safe to say that our business is in good hands. And the entire team is ready to support them every day until the Country Managers build their own organizations in the not-too-distant future. It might be natural to also look towards Iceland soon, to investigate if there are potential partners there who believe that we could have a meaningful role to play.
“We are concerned that if the Norwegian framework conditions don’t improve drastically and very soon, others may also take the lead on the maritime side”
What are Norwegian Hydrogen’s plans for 2023 in Norway and abroad?
The short answer is positioning and growth, but I will also share some details, says Berge. We are already delayed in reducing emissions on this planet and there is no time to lose! We need all the resources and commitment we can source to drive this change, and we can only succeed if every person, every state, and every corporation do what they can with what they have.
Green hydrogen is one of many critical pieces of the success puzzle, and what we have in Norwegian Hydrogen is a team, a group of owners, and a coalition of partners who are strongly committed and able to take a lead in the Nordic value chain, and even beyond that when the time is right… One could obviously focus on a narrow niche or product and look at the global market, or one could take several positions in the value chain and expand the geographical footprint over time. We have decided on the latter.
Norwegian Hydrogen will produce hydrogen from many sites in the entire Nordic region. Some will be small and targeted at local markets, others will serve regional markets, yet some hubs will be dimensioned for large-scale export. We look at mobility at large, such as heavy-duty transport, industrial sites and offroad mobility, and definitely a wide range of maritime customers with a demand for both compressed and liquid hydrogen. We also have an active partnership approach towards the production of e-fuels and other industrial applications where hydrogen will play a crucial role.
We aim to become the leading hydrogen refueler for heavy-duty transport and maritime customers in the Nordics. Those who follow this sector should stay tuned for more announcements from us going forward. Opportunities beyond the Nordics are also interesting, but those are currently handled on a case-by-case basis.
What is Norwegian Hydrogen’s biggest challenges going forward?
The world is fortunately full of influential and intelligent people who have realized that we need to do something, but we still struggle with some politicians and other decision-makers who prefer to serve hot air and push the inevitable challenges ahead of us. The scale is tipping more and more towards the right side, but we need an even clearer high-level alignment in order to move forward with full momentum. We need to do more and talk less, and even if we don’t have all the answers yet, that shouldn’t stop us from getting started. Having several roles in the value chain, and being present in different countries and segments, provides our company with optionality. By being agile, we allocate our resources in the direction which makes the most sense at any given time.
Right now, on an overall basis, we enjoy doing projects in EU countries where the momentum is so high. We enjoy being in Sweden where they have decided to support hydrogen infrastructure before the offtakes are established, we enjoy being in Denmark and experiencing their great focus on Power-to-X, we enjoy being in Finland because it’s possible to establish an early position.
We also see a lot of opportunities in the Norwegian home market and have plenty of projects and initiatives in the pipeline. Framework conditions aren’t great yet, but eventually we will follow on the same path as EU and our neighbours, and we will be well positioned. One of the key strengths for Norway is obviously our maritime heritage and the great resources, talent, and technology we hold. Norway is probably still where the maritime market for hydrogen is moving forward with the highest pace. We are however concerned that if the Norwegian framework conditions don’t improve drastically and very soon, others may also take the lead on the maritime side, Berge ends.
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Siri Odijk Solbakken
Communications Advisor
+47 977 53 065
siri@oceanhywaycluster.no