\ Alta Tecnologia \ North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley project receives positive technical evaluation and passes to the grant negotiation phase

The Clean Hydrogen Partnership Joint Undertaking, the unique public private partnership supporting research and innovation (R&I) activities in hydrogen technologies in Europe, has confirmed the preliminary results of the Horizon Europe call for Large Scale Hydrogen Valleys. The North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley project, the transnational project created by the alliance between Croatia, Slovenia and the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia in Italy, has received a positive technical evaluation and is now eligible to move on to the grant negotiation phase. If all goes well the project will be eligible for a grant of up to €25 Million in direct funding. The results of the negotiation phase are expected by early February.

The “North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley” with the participation of the Slovenian and Croatian governments, and the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia is the first transnational project aimed at developing a dedicated hydrogen valley. The project came about following an agreement between Croatia, Slovenia and the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, with the aim of establishing a framework for cooperation in developing environmentally friendly hydrogen-production technologies. This collaboration will not only contribute to transitioning to an integrated ecosystem involving the energy, industry and transport sectors, but will also allow cooperation in research and innovation, to develop a hydrogen supply chain.

The partnership, led by Slovenian Utility company HSE, includes 34 organisations representing key actors from Government, Research and Business communities and covers the entire value chain from production through storage and distribution to final end use of Hydrogen as a key energy vector in multiple sectors.

Key industry players from all three countries will develop pilot projects for the production of over 5000 tonnes per year of green hydrogen from renewable energy sources and its storage, distribution and usage for the decarbonisation of important industrial sectors such as steel and cement production as well as sustainable transport solutions.

Massimiliano Fedriga, President of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Autonomous Region

“I welcome with great satisfaction the achievement of a result of the highest value which concerns the entire regional territorial system which has committed itself, with great conviction, to building the foundations for the construction of a hydrogen valley on a transnational scale with the aim to accelerate the energy transition process. The “North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley” project was born thanks to the long standing collaboration between the research and innovation hubs of Friuli Venezia Giulia, Slovenia and Croatia which, providing a unique example on a macro-regional scale, have been able to pool knowledge and skills, and thanks also to the investments that industry in the three territories has already planned which require large-scale coordination capacity to produce significant effects in terms of employment and the well-being of our communities. I trust that the positive evaluation of the project at European level will lead in due course to a grant award and also bodes well for other opportunities that the Region intends to exploit in a synergistic way, starting with the investments envisaged by the Italian Recovery and Resilience Plan for the production and use of hydrogen”.

Davor Filipović, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of the Republic of Croatia

 “The “North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley” project is a logical first step in the implementation of Croatian Hydrogen Strategy until 2050. The importance of hydrogen in Croatia is increasing and numerous Croatian companies have started to develop hydrogen projects. The “North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley” will upraise hydrogen economy and mark all three territories as hydrogen friendly. The added value of the valley is the successful cooperation among the three territories that will ensure faster implementation of numerous projects and open new horizons for our companies and universities. We need to be aware that hydrogen, produced mostly in Europe, could become a significant source of energy and a strong tool for the decrease of energy import dependency as one of the most important issues for boosting EU economy. Our goal is clear: we aim to be an important global player based on clean and sustainable economy.

Bojan Kumer, Ministry of Infrastructure of the Republic of Slovenia

After a long period of joint efforts of all partners from Slovenia, Croatia and Friuli Venezia Giulia, we are very pleased that the North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley was positively evaluated by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership Joint Undertaking. This is another step towards ensuring more sustainable and green-house gas emission-free economies in the North Adriatic basin. By developing hydrogen-based ecosystem, we will complement other solutions towards emission-free economy. All the analyses and research so far show that for the successful implementation of such a large and complex project, joining forces cross-border is very important. Not only that it makes the realisation of such a complex project possible, it also paves the way to new opportunities for future cooperation with our partners for Croatia and Italy and hopefully also the broader region. It is also worth mentioning that this project is a result of joint efforts by the state and regional administrations, industry, research institutions and the public, the so-called quadruple helix model. This broad collaboration is indeed a guarantee for the success of this project and for the further development of hydrogen-based solutions for broader use.

Tomaž Štokelj, CEO of Holding Slovenske elektrarne d.o.o – HSE, Lead Partner

Holding Slovenske elektrarne (HSE), the largest Slovenian power producer and the main producer of renewable electrical energy, is proud to be one of the leading partners in The North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley project, an industry driven initiative which has resulted as common effort of institutional, industry and research partners from the territory of Friuli Venezia Giulia Region in Italy, Croatia, and Slovenia. Company ECUBES has had a vison of hydrogen ecosystem in year 2015, which has been developed to Zero Emission Mobility Corridor Slovenia project in 2018 and which was also a basis for RESHUB project concept in sector of defence. Ministry of Infrastructure and Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning of Republic of Slovenia have declared their support to Zero Emission Mobility Corridor Slovenia in 2020 with an aim to develop a national hydrogen ecosystem. Development of the North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley project initiative has been accelerated through the first Hydrogen Ecosystem North Adriatic conferences held in Nova Gorica in November 2021. Letter of intent signed by State secretaries of Slovenia and Croatia and the President of Friuli Venezia Giulia Autonomous Region in early 2022 has formed joint working group at the institutional level. This has enabled main framework for successful fusion of partial and local activities in hydrogen technologies of the territory into one common project of 34 partners. HSE has taken a role of the leading partner in the project with honour. Development of hydrogen-based solutions is important for energy sector and its green transformation, as energy storage is a prerequisite for decarbonization and large-scale employment of renewables. The North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley project also represents a tight cooperation between institutional, industry and research partners, which will result in accelerated development of the territory and faster transition into energy resilient and carbon dioxide emission neutral society, in line with HSE’s mission and vision.

Caterina Petrillo, Area Science Park President

“The project is the result of formidable teamwork where the contributions provided by each of the partners, based on their respective skills and experience, have been integrated and harmonized to imagine the future of the so-called “Hydrogen Economy”. The development of the North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley concept saw a marked acceleration in 2021 when the University of Trieste drove the addition of research institutions to the growing partnership which already included companies and government institutions from Slovenia and Croatia as well as Friuli Venezia Giulia. Area Science Park made available to the project its many years of consolidated experience in scientific cooperation, in particular in South-eastern Europe, as well as its ability to build public-private partnerships between research centres and innovative companies with production in strategic sectors for growth. Furthermore, this project represents a great opportunity for the institution to further develop applied skills in the sector of innovative materials.”