Germany, Norway mull pipeline construction for hydrogen supply

Germany and Norway are discussing the construction of a pipeline between the two countries to transport hydrogen as one of the measures to reduce Europe’s dependence on Russian energy resources, Report informs citing Interfax.

In the near future, the two countries will begin a technical analysis of the project to transport "green" hydrogen from Norway to Germany. This decision was made following a meeting between German Economy Minister Robert Habeck and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store.

“In the coming months and years, it will be very important to accelerate the development of alternative sources of energy supplies to Europe to replace Russian oil and gas, as well as to develop the necessary infrastructure for this,” the two countries said in an official statement.

Germany, which is the largest economy in Europe, has announced its intention to review the sources of energy supplies from the moment Russia began its military operation in Ukraine. The share of deliveries from the Russian Federation accounts for more than half of the gas purchased by Germany, 50% of coal imports and about a third of oil imports, Bloomberg notes.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has promised to increase spare gas and coal storage capacity to reduce the risk of potential supply disruptions. In addition, the country’s authorities buy liquefied natural gas, support projects for the construction of LNG terminals and step up the introduction of renewable energy sources.