Review: Wind meets Gas 2023
Every year in October, New Energy Coalition The two-day Wind Meets Gas symposium. We organize this symposium specifically for our (international) partners and specialists in the field, and it focuses on the latest developments in hydrogen and offshore energy in the energy transition. This year marked the seventh edition of Wind Meets Gas. Professor of Energy and Sustainability and our scientific specialist in the energy transition, Emeritus Professor Catrinus Jepma, has been closely involved with the symposium from the beginning and, in this article, reflects on the 2023 edition.
Looking back
“This year was once again a successful and well-attended event, now 7e version of Wind Meets Gas, based on the proven concept. New this time was the special focus on the input of the younger generation on Friday afternoon, to express their perspectives on the energy transition. The successful matchmaking sessions—participants could use an app to make short (introductory) appointments with each other—introductory sessions introduced at the previous symposium were further expanded.
A key theme of the first day of the symposium, Thursday, was the similarities and differences between plans in the United States to stimulate hydrogen development, including through the Inflation Reduction Act, and initiatives in Europe through the Green Deal Industrial Plan. Although the approaches differ significantly, it was emphasized that the EU and the US should not view each other as competitors in this regard, but as partners.
Energy developments in the North Sea also received considerable attention, thanks in part to the large attendance of officials, diplomats, and business experts from Northern Europe. While the potential for collaboration is enormous, it still requires extensive consultation, coordination, and regulatory frameworks. Furthermore, it was emphasized that the North Sea region is crucial to the entire European energy transition, but that care must be taken not to oversimplify regulations to accommodate the pace required by climate policy. So-called blue hydrogen options were also put forward as possibilities, or even solutions.
On Friday, key industrial players in the Eemshaven/Delfszijl area signed a hydrogen pipeline section in support of their proposed investment plans. This agreement allows Gasunie to begin constructing connections for future hydrogen investments by ENGIE, Equinor, RWE, and Vopak. This was a historic moment because, if the proposed investments are realized, Eemshaven will rapidly develop into one of the largest hydrogen production sites in Europe and beyond.
The Friday afternoon program saw a great dialogue between the CEOs of the aforementioned players and a number of young people about how different generations can work together to find solutions in the energy transition.”
More information
Want to know more about Wind meets Gas? Visit the website of the symposium or send an email.
Author
The author of this article is Catrinus Jepma.
