The project is a special segment of international cooperation related to establishing and strengthening economies based on hydrogen. This is a global initiative with a total of 36 potential hydrogen valleys on five continents, a press release from the ministry said.
According to Milatić, the ministry is preparing a national hydrogen strategy that will present the national vision of developing an economy founded on hydrogen and it will cover all segments, from producing renewable hydrogen, its storage and distribution, to the use of renewable hydrogen in all sectors.
"The strategy is expected to be adopted in the first quarter of 2022. Investments geared towards establishing hydrogen production and six filling stations are a part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The hydrogen valley project is an important step for Croatia and represents a stronger and coordinated international engagement which is essential to achieve ambitious European climate objectives," Milatić said addressing the conference.
Croatia is engaged in the Northern Adriatic hydrogen valley project together with the Italian Friuli Venezia Guilia region and with Slovenia. The aim of the cooperation is to ensure visibility within the European Union and to ensure a leading position for these three countries within Southeast Europe, which still does not have a sufficiently developed potential to produce and use renewable hydrogen.
Hydrogen valleys should ensure visibility that will attract additional investments in regiona and countries that establish hydrogen valleys, but also a value chain from hydrogen production to use. That should attract investments on a global scale and ensure the recognisability of individual regions regarding hydrogen technology, the press release said.
The hydrogen filling station was opened today in front of Salonit Anhovo d.d., a company in Slovenia that is striving to be one of the first cement works with minimum impact on the environment by the summer of 2035.