Establishing a Formal Hydrogen Partnership with Dutch Research Giant

- We face technical, practical, regulatory, and commercial challenges. Accelerating our transition and overcoming these challenges is only possible when we work together. The strong collaboration between NORCE and TNO on hydrogen and CCS is therefore essential for a successful green transition, says Kristin Margrethe Flornes, Executive Vice President of NORCE Energy & Technology. She emphasizes the importance of collaboration to tackle the challenges in the energy transition to meet both the need for more clean energy and to halt global warming.

TNO is the largest independent research and technology organization in the Netherlands and one of the largest in the EU, and the agreement will further strengthen collaboration between our institutions. This collaboration is already well underway, including NORCE-led FME Hydrogen Centre HyValue.

As recognition grows across Europe that low-carbon hydrogen can play a crucial role in developing a hydrogen system, current conditions in the Netherlands do not yet allow for a final investment decision. In view of this, TNO, NORCE, Equinor, Gasunie, and EBN have agreed to collaborate on studying the necessary conditions for the successful realization of such value chains.

Tirza van Daalen, Director of the Netherlands Geological Survey, underscores the importance of collaboration in these developments: “NORCE and TNO have already worked together for years on common challenges in the energy transition in the Netherlands and Norway, such as the development of CCS technology and energy infrastructure. This strategic collaboration agreement will further strengthen the relationship.”

The memorandum of understanding aims at a long-term strategic partnership on hydrogen and energy infrastructure innovation, beginning with the development of low-carbon hydrogen production in the Netherlands based on Norwegian gas, with CO₂ storage on the Norwegian continental shelf. The collaboration also includes R&D on hydrogen storage in depleted reservoirs, protection of offshore facilities, and societal acceptance of hydrogen and CO₂ storage.

The first concrete step is that NORCE and TNO will start a joint study with industry partners Equinor, Gasunie, and EBN on the development of a low-carbon hydrogen project in Eemshaven in northeastern Netherlands. This is made possible by Norwegian gas with carbon capture, transport, and storage.

The study aims to produce a report for the Dutch Ministry of Climate and Growth. The report will assist the ministry in designing its low-carbon hydrogen policy and will also provide the involved parties with the necessary insights to determine the next steps for the development of the planned LCH plant in Eemshaven.

The study will analyze critical elements in the hydrogen system essential for establishing a low-carbon hydrogen value chain:

• Assessing the potential demand for low-carbon hydrogen that could be supplied from the Eemshaven production plant.
• Examining the infrastructure requirements necessary for the plant's operation.
• Analyzing the regulatory framework applicable to hydrogen, with a special focus on ensuring regulations do not hinder the development of low-carbon hydrogen.
• Identifying key drivers for the business case and exploring potential measures to improve the economic viability of an LCH facility in Eemshaven.

NORCE and TNO are already collaborating in publicly funded research programs on:

• Development of hydrogen value chains in the Norwegian Research Centre HyVALUE, coordinated by NORCE.
• Transitioning the North Sea as a future source of renewable energy in the Dutch program North Sea Energy, coordinated by TNO.
• Developing a risk-based framework for CO₂ storage monitoring in the CETP project RamonCO, coordinated by NORCE.