This year's North Sea Conference took place in Oldenburg on June 24 and 25—a meeting place for regions, projects, and partners to strengthen cooperation in the North Sea region. Under the motto “Places matter,” the focus was on how regional resilience can be built and maintained.
In an inspiring project session, Johanna Nobel from the Oldenburg energy cluster OLEC e.V. presented how LIHYP is contributing to the development of a sustainable, regional hydrogen economy. With a visionary journey into the year 2050, she illustrated how green hydrogen – produced from renewable energies – can become a natural part of our everyday lives. From climate-neutral delivery transport to large-scale industrial applications: hydrogen as an energy storage medium makes surplus green electricity usable and ensures flexibility, security of supply, and climate neutrality.
The LIHYP consortium, consisting of 21 partners from five countries, is working to make this vision a reality. By developing joint roadmaps, pilot projects, and harmonizing legal standards, the foundations for cross-border solutions are being laid. The aim is to link production, use, and research in the field of hydrogen more closely, thereby strengthening economic, energy, and technological resilience in the region and throughout Europe.
“A resilient hydrogen economy creates local value, secure jobs, and makes us independent of fossil fuel imports,” emphasized Johanna Nobel in her presentation. The positive response from the audience clearly showed that the hydrogen future in the North Sea region is not a distant vision—it is happening here and now.
Pictures: OLEC e.V. { DLR Vernetzte Energiesysteme / Interreg North Sea Programme