Germany may use blue hydrogen from Norway for transitional period – state secretary

Germany aims to secure a full supply of green hydrogen in its drive to become climate neutral, but may use blue hydrogen made with natural gas and carbon capture and storage (CCS) in Norway for a transitional period, energy and climate state secretary Patrick Graichen has said. Graichen stressed that only green hydrogen is compatible with the long-term climate targets, because blue hydrogen causes residual emissions. "We will go for green hydrogen in the long term, and whenever we put money on the table, it will be for green hydrogen," Graichen said during a panel discussion on energy cooperation with Norway. But he added the government won't stand in the way if private investors decide to import blue hydrogen from Norway using infrastructure that can be climate-neutral in the long run. "Blue hydrogen for a transitional period in pipelines planned for green hydrogen is fine," Graichen said.

Norway’s prime minister Jonas Gahr Store invited Germany to join his country's plans for using CCS on a large scale. "We can continue to deliver gas but with the carbon stored away safely," Store said, adding that Norway had a lot of safe CO2 storage capacity under the North Sea. He said German imports of Norwegian hydrogen would take the energy partnership between the two countries to a new level.

Germany already cooperates closely with Norway in its energy transition. Last year, NordLink, the world's longest subsea electrical interconnector linking the two countries, entered operation, exchanging wind energy and hydropower between the two countries.