Hydrogen and green hydrogen in the Baltic Sea Region

Hydrogen is seen as the decisive element for completing the energy transition. It is the basis for the defossilisation of those sectors that are not accessible to direct electrification, or only with difficulty for the time being. However, the role of hydrogen for the energy transition goes far beyond its use in these sectors. Hydrogen, and green hydrogen in particular, also plays an important role in the European Strategy and the national climate protection strategies. At the same time, the approach to hydrogen in the energy transition and transformation is by no means uniform. Rather, the approaches taken so far are characterised by a great deal of fragmentation, each based on the national interests of individual states in the region. This leads to considerable questions for the development of a European and international hydrogen economy and its integration into the energy market. These questions are of direct relevance in the Baltic Sea Region based on the European and non-European littoral states, the respective interests of the national states and the respective resources. In this context, the Baltic Sea Region can be a flagship for the development of a European and international cooperative hydrogen economy.