Norwegian Gen2 Partners with a Scottish Firm to Export Green H2 to U.K.

Gen2 Energy, a Norwegian green hydrogen producer, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Scottish firm Port of Cromarty Firth to create a commercial pathway for the export of green hydrogen from Norway into the UK energy market.

The development is not only expected to provide security of supply to customers wanting to adapt green hydrogen solutions, but is also likely to help the Scottish Government realise its ambitions to become a leading hydrogen nation.

The MoU is a massive boost in the bid to establish a green hydrogen hub in the Cromarty Firth, adding a new international angle to its aim to produce, store and supply hydrogen to the Highland region, other parts of Scotland, the UK and Europe.

The Firth will become the UK transhipment hub for Gen2 Energy’s hydrogen, produced from Norway’s surplus renewable energy, which will be shipped across the North Sea to the Port. Hydrogen would then be distributed to customers across the UK by road, rail and sea.

Jonas Meyer, Chief Executive Officer of Gen2 Energy, said, “The agreement marks a significant milestone in the creation of a value chain for hydrogen between Norway and the UK, resulting in significant environmental and social benefits as we move towards a net zero emission society.”

He added that Gen2 Energy was working diligently to build large-scale production and distribution of green hydrogen with zero emissions through the value chain. Together with Port of Cromarty Firth, the firm hopes to provide customers with easily adaptable plug and play solutions for green hydrogen and ensure supply security from multiple production locations.

Last month, Vitol, the world’s biggest independent oil trader, announced its acquisition of a 10% equity interest in Gen2 Energy. The same month, Norway’s $1.3 trillion sovereign wealth fund, a pioneer and probably the largest in the world, announced its first investment into renewable energy infrastructure.

Port of Cromarty Firth chief executive Bob Buskie said, “This is a historic moment for the Port, and for the move towards green hydrogen as a reliable and secure source of energy in the Highlands, Scotland, and the UK.”

He added that the country was on the cusp of another renewable energy revolution, with demand for clean energy rising every year, and that the MoU could put the Highlands on the map as one of the largest suppliers of clean hydrogen energy in Europe, alongside the firm’s established leadership in the onshore and offshore wind markets.