Groningen celebrates two days of energy symposium
On Thursday, October 6th, and Friday, October 7th, energy experts and policymakers from the Netherlands and abroad will gather at the Martinikerk in Groningen for the 6th edition of the Wind Meets Gas symposium. This year's overarching theme is "Energy Resilience." Minister of Climate and Energy Rob Jetten will be one of the keynote speakers on the opening day. The symposium is attracting increasing international interest: this year, participants from 17 countries are participating, including a 30-member trade delegation from Japan. The annual symposium is an initiative of New Energy Coalition and discusses the latest developments towards the green energy system of the future.
Resilience of the energy system
This year's theme highlights the resilience of the energy system in today's turbulent times. At Wind Meets Gas, experts and policymakers from industry, research, and government gather annually to discuss developments in the energy transition, particularly in relation to hydrogen: from large-scale application and system integration to education and the labor market, and everything in between. Green hydrogen is now recognised worldwide as a vital link in the sustainable energy system of the future.
First Hydrogen Valley
Noord-Nederland has been designated Europe's first Hydrogen Valley by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership and the EU/FCH JU, a testing ground for the development and application of green hydrogen gas. The North is ideally suited for this "preparing for the future," given its available infrastructure (gas network, deep-sea port), existing energy clusters, and the knowledge and expertise built up in this region over the past decades through natural gas extraction. Work is underway to future-proof this historical energy position – with Groningen as the logical home base for the Wind Meets Gas symposium.
Nordics
In recent years, the programme has been dominated by the Scandinavian partners, the "Nordics." The embassies of Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden will share their perspectives on offshore energy and hydrogen developments and discuss interregional Scandinavian North Sea energy cooperation and green corridors. There will also be a panel discussion on the greening of heavy transport and industry in Scandinavia.
The two-day symposium will take place at the Martinikerk in Groningen, featuring several drop-out sessions and workshops. Participation is by invitation. More information can be found at www.windmeetsgas.com
