Green Hydrogen: Norwegian Hydrogen Secures €31.5 M EU Grant to Build RjukanLH2 Value Chain

Norwegian Hydrogen AS has scored a major win—a €31.5 million grant from the EU Innovation Fund to kick off its RjukanLH2 initiative. This isn’t just another grant; it’s a giant leap toward Norway’s first fully integrated green hydrogen value chain for maritime transport. By harnessing Rjukan’s clean hydropower, the team plans to produce, liquefy and ship green liquid hydrogen, slashing carbon emissions in a sector that’s been notoriously hard to decarbonize. With shipping decarbonization topping industry agendas, green hydrogen is fast becoming a game-changer—and RjukanLH2 wants to prove it can work at scale.

Here’s the quick rundown:

• Who: Norwegian Hydrogen AS alongside Clean Hydrogen Partnership, Fortescue, Swedish Energy Agency and Mitsui.
• What: A €31.5 million EU Innovation Fund grant for the RjukanLH2 project.
• Where: Rjukan, Telemark, Norway—an old industrial hydropower site reborn for green H₂.
• When: Awarded on 3 November 2025; construction slated for 2026–27.
• Why: To build Norway’s first full green LH₂ chain and drive maritime industrial decarbonization.

At a time when the shipping industry pumps out roughly 3 % of global CO₂ emissions, RjukanLH2 nails the sweet spot between bold ambition and real-world feasibility. We’re talking about a fully integrated hydrogen production, storage, transport and bunkering network—all powered by Rjukan’s waterfalls. Norway’s decades of hydropower expertise and next-gen electrolyser tech give the project a serious head start, while Brussels’ backing underscores its role in Europe’s energy security and technological sovereignty. Sure, similar plans are brewing in Spain and Germany, but RjukanLH2 might be the first out of the gate.

Technical Underpinnings: Electrolysis to LH₂

Right at the heart of RjukanLH2 sits a cluster of high-capacity electrolyser units next to the historic Måna river power plant. Using electrolysis, each module splits water into hydrogen and oxygen with zero direct emissions—thanks to renewable hydropower. The initial setup aims for about 10 tonnes of H₂ per day, with plenty of room to scale up. Once the gas is generated, it’s chilled to –253 °C and pressurized into liquid hydrogen (LH₂), shrinking its volume by a factor of 800. That makes long-haul shipping practical. State-of-the-art safety systems and super-insulation tech keep boil-off losses well below the 0.3 % per day industry target.

Of course, producing H₂ is only half the story—you’ve got to move it too. RjukanLH2 features cryogenic storage tanks, specialized loading arms and insulated transport trailers. From there, trucks or barges will deliver LH₂ to coastal bunkering terminals, where ships can top up on green fuel. Down the road, a buried pipeline to fjord-side terminals could cut road miles and boost throughput even more. Before you know it, North Sea and Baltic routes could swap diesel or heavy fuel oil for emission-free hydrogen—potentially slashing CO₂ by up to 100 % on each voyage segment.

Business Landscape and Partnerships

Financing a project of this size is no small feat. The EU Innovation Fund grant covers about 30 % of the estimated €100 million capex, with the rest coming from private investors and debt facilities. On top of funding, Norwegian Hydrogen AS has forged partnerships with GreenIron (green hydrogen for metal production) and Karmsund Hydrogen (decarbonizing maritime logistics), extending its reach from steel mills to shipping lanes. For the EU, backing RjukanLH2 aligns perfectly with the European Green Deal and its push for a stronger domestic electrolyser market—key pieces of Europe’s hydrogen infrastructure puzzle and fight against fossil fuel dependence.

Key backers—Clean Hydrogen Partnership, Fortescue, Swedish Energy Agency and Japan’s Mitsui—are all placing a big bet on Norway as a hub for clean energy innovation. If RjukanLH2 proves commercially viable, we could see a domino effect: lower cost green hydrogen, ramped-up electrolyser manufacturing and a wave of similar hubs across the Nordics. That’s exactly the kind of progress Europe needs to hit its goal of cutting industrial emissions by 55 % by 2030 and reaching climate neutrality by 2050.

Leveraging Rjukan’s Heritage

Rjukan’s no stranger to hydrogen. Back in the 1940s, Norsk Hydro ran the world’s largest water electrolyser here, making hydrogen for ammonia and fertilizer. Decades later, grey H₂ from natural gas took over, but those original hydropower roots never faded. UNESCO now honors Rjukan’s pioneering industrial legacy and renewable electricity history. RjukanLH2 taps into that heritage with 21st-century tech—honoring the past while steering both the town and the maritime sector toward a decarbonized future.

On the economic front, RjukanLH2 promises a shot in the arm for the region. Construction and operations could create hundreds of jobs in engineering, logistics and maintenance. Local suppliers—from steel fabricators to electrical contractors—stand to gain. For shipowners, a reliable green hydrogen corridor means lower barriers to meeting the International Maritime Organization’s 2030 and 2050 emissions targets. And beyond shipping, we’ll likely see spillovers into heavy-duty land transport and process industries hungry for carbon-free feedstocks.

Policy-wise, the EU Innovation Fund award sends a clear message: Brussels is committed to de-risking large-scale hydrogen infrastructure. It dovetails with Norway’s own hydrogen strategy, which targets 4 GW of electrolysis capacity by 2030. As Member States race to secure clean H₂, flagship projects like RjukanLH2 become living laboratories for regulatory frameworks, safety standards and market mechanisms. Over the next year, everyone will be watching permitting timelines, grid interconnections and offtake contracts—those are often the make-or-break factors for pioneering clean energy ventures.

Looking ahead, all eyes are on RjukanLH2’s ramp-up in 2026 and 2027. Can it hit its output targets? Will shipping companies sign binding offtake deals? How quickly can this model be replicated in other hydropower-rich regions? If everything clicks, Norway could well cement its place as Europe’s green hydrogen champion—fueling a maritime revolution powered by waterfalls instead of fossil fuels.