Norway and Germany are strengthening their collaboration to increase renewable energy output and boost green industries.
According to a joint statement issued on Thursday, the two governments intend to collaborate in hydrogen, battery technologies, offshore wind, and carbon capture and storage.
“These are challenging times in Europe due to the war in Ukraine,” Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said, the statement noted.
Store also emphasized that Norway’s importance as a reliable supplier of gas to Europe and the need to accelerate the transition to renewable energy.
“I greatly value our close cooperation with Germany. It has been a long time since Norway was this important to Germany – and Germany to Norway. Our collaborative efforts will help us to achieve our common goals of green industrialization and lower emissions,” he said.
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Recall that Norway and Germany agreed in January last year to expand their collaboration on the green transition and to develop a long-term discussion on industry and energy. Since then, additional talks between the two countries have taken place, with the energy situation in Europe being a significant subject on the agenda.
Norway will also continue to supply oil and gas to Europe, according to the joint statement. The country is also exploring forming a large-scale relationship with Germany in terms of value chains and infrastructure, according to the statement.
“Both our countries are seeking to seize the opportunities opening up as a result of the energy and climate change challenges Europe is facing,” according to Norwegian Minister of Petroleum and Energy Terje Aasland.
Minister of Trade and Industry Jan Christian Vestre, on the other hand, emphasized that Norway is well positioned to succeed in encouraging green growth, especially given critical resources and knowledge in the energy, offshore, and maritime sectors.
Cooperation with major partners is critical, according to Vestre, who added, “I am thus delighted we are forming a Norwegian-German industrial relationship.”
Aside from renewable energy, the two countries intend to work together on the processing sector, batteries, raw materials, and green shipping. According to the Norwegian Minister of Climate and Environment Espen Barth Eide, Norway and the EU will embark on a significant decarbonization effort.
This, he said will necessitate initiatives in areas such as carbon capture and storage, hydrogen manufacturing, and renewable energy generation.
This story was adapted from AA.
