Lower Saxony's European Minister Birgit Honé discussed questions of the use and production of green hydrogen on 21st February in Oldenburg with stakeholders from industry and local authorities from the Weser-Ems region and the Netherlands. The background to the meeting is her appointment as rapporteur on green hydrogen for the Commission for Environment, Climate Change and Energy (ENVE) of the Committee of the Regions (CoR). Prior to her report on the European stage, Minister Honé will update herself in discussions with hydrogen stakeholders in Lower Saxony. The talks in Oldenburg will be the first of these.

"In the end, climate change will only succeed if the expansion of renewable energies and the establishment of a hydrogen economy are accelerated in Europe. Lower Saxony and the Northwest are ready for this", Minister Honé stated after the meeting. The expert group "Strategic Forum for Important Projects of Common European Interest" set up by the EU Commission recently classified hydrogen technologies and systems among the EU's priorities.

According to the Minister, hydrogen also offers considerable potential for innovation, added value and employment in the European regions if the opportunities are seized in good time. The opinion for the CoR should underline the need for a strategy at European level and make proposals for the design of EU initiatives and EU legislation.

State Commissioner Franz-Josef Sickelmann from the Weser-Ems Regional Development Office sees the region as a good location for the use of green hydrogen. "Due to the high proportion of wind energy in the north-west, there is great potential for the production of green hydrogen," said Sickelmann. He hopes that the development of necessary technologies will progress quickly.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Image and text: Amt für regionale Landesentwicklung Weser-Ems