Equinor calls for state support for hydrogen

Norwegian major is pushing ahead with its plans for hydrogen production but acknowledges that government backing is needed at this stage of market development

In the wake of Equinor signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Engie last week, the Norwegian company has underlined the need for greater government funding of both blue and green hydrogen projects. The European firms signed the MoU to investigate the development of blue hydrogen value chains in Belgium, the Netherlands and France. The partners will examine the production and market potential for hydrogen from natural gas, with the CO2 captured and stored permanently offshore. But Grete Tveit, senior vice president for low-carbon solutions at Equinor, says that at this stage any low-carbon hydrogen project of scale will need government funding to get off the ground. While everyone w