Under the banner Hydrogen, the Nordic way, NORHyWAY joined fellow Nordic valleys CONVEY, BalticSeaH2 and HiWHyV on a shared stand at European Hydrogen Week. The project also co-hosted a side event with RENERGY and Trøndelag European Office, and was represented on the main stage by partner GreenH, which shared lessons from the maritime hydrogen market. NORHyWAY partners from all four use cases took part during the week.
The Nordic valleys CONVEY, BalticSeaH2, HiWHyV and NORHyWAY, together with partners, at their joint stand at European Hydrogen Week 2026 in Brussels.
Industry in the room
Hydrogen projects are easier to describe than to deliver, and the people delivering them are often the best placed to explain what it takes. Several NORHyWAY partners were in Brussels during the week, among them Vireon, Nedstack, HyEnergy and GreenH, alongside coordinator RENERGY and technical coordinator SINTEF. Between them, they represent Blue Economy, Maritime H2, Road Transport and Flexible Grid, NORHyWAY´s four use cases, and they contributed to NORHyWAY’s programme, from talks on the stand to the main stage and the side event.
“For us, it was important to have the industry partners with us in Brussels. This way we can show what is actually happening in NORHyWAY, not just talk about our plans. The week proved that we have a lot to offer Europe, but also a lot to learn,” says Mona Irén Pettersen, Project Manager, NORHyWAY, and Senior Adviser at RENERGY.
Four valleys, one Nordic stand
Four valleys from five countries shared one stand: CONVEY from Denmark, BalticSeaH2 from Finland and Estonia, HiWHyV from Sweden and NORHyWAY from Norway. Each has its own region and its own industry, but they share a way of working, with close cooperation across borders, and industry and research at the same table. Plenty of Nordic candy at the stand helped keep visitors coming all week.
On Tuesday, the stand hosted an industry session with a short talk from each valley. It showed how much ground the four cover between them. Heidi Tuiskula from Norwegian Hydrogen, which coordinates CONVEY, opened with the big picture: how valleys can think global and deliver local. Then HiWHyV coordinator Anna Sager brought it down to the breakfast table, tracing the hydrogen behind the fertiliser that grows our food.
Heidi Tuiskula from Norwegian Hydrogen, coordinator of CONVEY, speaking at the industry session at the Nordic stand.
Kim Tervonen from CLIC widened the lens again on behalf of BalticSeaH2, arguing that hydrogen is not only an energy solution, but an industrial and a security strategy for Europe. Finally, Guro Fasting from NORHyWAY partner GreenH brought the industry perspective on what it takes to build maritime hydrogen production and bunkering before the market is fully there.
Guro Fasting from NORHyWAY partner GreenH speaking at the industry session at the Nordic stand.
For the valleys themselves, the week was as much about learning from each other as about reaching new audiences.
“Standing together as Nordic valleys made a real difference. We got to know each other’s projects far better, it became easy to open our networks to each other, and the interest in the Nordic region was clear all week,” says Karianne Arentz Hagen, Head of Communications, NORHyWAY, and Senior Communications Adviser at RENERGY.
Research at the same table
On Wednesday, the research session turned to how valleys can do it better. Heidi Tuiskula returned with a talk with a memorable title, The Oxygen Nobody Collects, on the untapped value of a by-product every electrolyser makes. Nikos Ntavos from CluBE in Greece, a partner in HiWHyV, looked at what regions outside the Nordics can learn from the Nordic approach. For NORHyWAY, Kyrre Sundseth and Katie McCay from SINTEF asked the question every valley is wrestling with: what makes hydrogen valleys succeed?
Nikos Ntavos from CluBE, a HiWHyV partner, speaking at the research session at the Nordic stand.
The discussion that followed pointed to a clear need for research, skills development and experience sharing between Europe’s regions and valleys.
“Research reduces cost and risk by documenting that hydrogen solutions are safe, efficient and work in practice. Through NORHyWAY, we develop and share knowledge that makes it possible to take solutions from pilot to market, and to use that experience to build new hydrogen value chains,” says Kyrre Sundseth, Technical Coordinator of NORHyWAY at SINTEF.
Kyrre Sundseth from SINTEF, Technical Coordinator of NORHyWAY, presenting at the research session at the Nordic stand.
Katie McCay, Technical Coordinator of NORHyWAY at SINTEF, during Wednesday’s research session.
Lessons from a first mover
On the main stage of the EU Hydrogen Innovation Forum, Guro Fasting spoke in the session Hydrogen Valleys Innovation Ecosystems in Action. GreenH is developing hydrogen production and bunkering for maritime customers in NORHyWAY, and Fasting shared what being first has taught the company.
Her main point: the hardest innovation is often not in the technology. It happens when projects meet reality, in execution, in building a market that does not yet exist, step by step, and in working closely with customers. That is why a solid business case matters more than anything else.
Guro Fasting from GreenH represented NORHyWAY on the panel at the EU Hydrogen Innovation Forum, in the session Hydrogen Valleys Innovation Ecosystems in Action.
“Hydrogen has an important role to play beyond cutting emissions. As a clean, locally produced alternative to fossil fuels, it can strengthen Europe’s resilience. NORHyWAY helps turn this potential into action by supporting first movers like GreenH and bringing the value chain together to demonstrate hydrogen’s vital role in the transition to a more resilient, low-carbon future,” says Guro Fasting, Head of Business Development at GreenH.
Guro Fasting, Head of Business Development at GreenH, during the panel at the EU Hydrogen Innovation Forum.
NORHyWAY was one of three hydrogen valleys featured as examples at the EU Hydrogen Innovation Forum.
Norway at the regions table
At the regions meeting, opened by Jorgo Chatzimarkakis, CEO of Hydrogen Europe, NORHyWAY was represented by Syver Lie Rønningen, Project Coordinator at RENERGY. He presented hydrogen activity in Norway alongside representatives of 12 other European regions. With each region presenting its own work, the meeting gave a broad picture of hydrogen activity across Europe’s regions.
From funding to execution
On Tuesday evening, the Norwegian and Nordic renewable energy community gathered at the Trøndelag European Office in Brussels for a meetup organised by RENERGY, NORHyWAY and Trøndelag European Office. The question on the table was how Norwegian and Nordic industry can make the most of the opportunities coming out of the EU.
The programme brought the whole value chain into one room: the projects that need to be built, the funding that helps them get started, the power system they depend on, and the EU policy that frames it all.
Ida Kallmyr Lerheim, Project Manager for NORHyWAY and Senior Adviser EU at RENERGY, hosted a full house at the Trøndelag European Office.
Hosted by Ida Kallmyr Lerheim, NORHyWAY project manager and Senior Advisor EU at RENERGY, and opened by Katinka Remøe of Trøndelag European Office, the evening started on the project side. Thomas Bjørdal, Cluster Manager at RENERGY, shared lessons learned from NORHyWAY, and Guro Fasting from GreenH spoke on how to break the first barriers as a first mover in hydrogen.
A fireside chat led by Mona Irén Pettersen then paired the view from Brussels, from Johan Vetlesen of the Mission of Norway to the EU, with the view from industry, from Vireon CEO Vegard Frihammer.
Fireside chat with, from left, Vegard Frihammer (Vireon), Johan Vetlesen (Mission of Norway to the EU) and moderator Mona Irén Pettersen (NORHyWAY/RENERGY).
Ingeborg Frøysnes from Innovation Norway spoke on using Norwegian and European funding in tandem, and Petter N. Christiansen from Statnett closed with perspectives on the European and Norwegian power system.
Ingeborg Frøysnes, Head of Innovation Norway’s office in Brussels, speaking at the meetup at the Trøndelag European Office.
The evening was held under the Chatham House Rule, which made room for an open and candid conversation.
Learning beyond the Nordics
Collaboration with other valleys is also part of NORHyWAY’s own work plan. Through the project, NORHyWAY partner HyEnergy leads the North Sea Circle, a collaboration of eleven hydrogen valleys and initiatives around the North Sea. Following Wednesday’s research session, the Nordic stand hosted the H2 Valley Meetup and Mingle, where valleys in the North Sea Circle met to exchange experience.
Ida Kallmyr Lerheim, Project Manager for NORHyWAY and Senior Adviser EU at RENERGY.
“Every valley is shaped by where it is and what it sets out to do, and seeing the differences side by side is valuable. But much is also the same, and that is where we have the most to learn from each other. Through the North Sea Circle, we make sure that learning continues long after the week in Brussels,” says Ida Kallmyr Lerheim.
NORHyWAY leaves Brussels with new contacts and a stronger Nordic partnership, and the four valleys are now looking at ways to expand their collaboration.
Read more about the Brussels meetup.
NORHyWAY is supported by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership and its members.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Clean Hydrogen Partnership. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.