(ANSA) - UDINE, 26 SET - The North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley (NAHV) kicked off with the first transnational initiative launched in Portorož, Slovenia, as part of the Horizon Europe program, supported by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership. More than 100 delegates representing 37 project partners from three countries, Croatia, Friuli Venezia Giulia (Italy), and Slovenia, gathered for the project's kick-off meeting.
    NAHV started on September 1 and will run for 72 months. It includes 17 pilot projects to be developed in different locations in all three partner countries. The project has received a €25 million grant from the Clean Hydrogen Partnership and is led by HSE, Slovenia's biggest electricity producer and distributor.
    Key industry players in the three countries will develop pilot projects to produce up to 5,000 tons of hydrogen per year from renewable energy sources. About 20 percent of the renewable hydrogen produced is expected to be traded among the three countries, thus creating a primary regional market for hydrogen.
    Institutional representatives from the three participating territories, Croatia, Friuli Venezia Giulia, and Slovenia, Undersecretary of State Ivo Milatić, FVG Regional Councillor Pierpaolo Roberti, and Undersecretary of State Tina Sersen, respectively, attended the kick-off meeting in Portorož along with Tomaž Štokelj, Ceo of HSE, the project's lead partner.
    Ivo Milatić, State Secretary at the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Croatia, highlighted that "our goal is to be an important lever in creating a clean, strong and sustainable economy." Tina Seršen, Undersecretary of State at the Slovenian Ministry of Environment, expressed her hope that "by 2030 hydrogen-based solutions will play a much greater role in achieving our decarbonization goals." On the occasion, FVG President Massimiliano Fedriga emphasized that "the North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley project is an ambitious cross-border initiative designed to strengthen cooperation on a transnational basis and aimed at addressing the needs of our local communities." (ANSA).