Eleven project partners from eight European countries gathered at the Occidental Hotel in Ljubljana, Slovenia on 10-11 December 2024 for the second in-person HyEfRe project partner meeting, hosted by Slovenian partner Energy Agency of Savinjska, Šaleška and Koroška Region, KSSENA. The event brought together nearly 30 participants, who discussed all ongoing and upcoming tasks as well as the strategies to achieve all project objectives.
The meeting began with an introduction from Sebastian Arjona, the new project manager from TZE, who outlined the management and monitoring plan for the project. This was followed by an insight from Ines Ahmić from KSSENA, the project’s communication manager, who provided an overview of the project’s communication strategy and set out the collaborative efforts needed to engage with stakeholders and key audiences.
The first day also focused on work package 1 (WP1), which focuses on developing essential tools and methodologies for hydrogen innovation. Activity 1.1 has been successfully completed and current work is focused on Activities 1.2 and 1.3, which are in progress. These activities include the development of the hydrogen potential model and the decision support tool, both of which are key components of the project’s technological framework. Discussions also covered plans for pilot testing and model validation, with a focus on integrating technological innovation with policy frameworks and business models.
WP2 discussions on the first day focused on curently ongoing activities 2.1, 2.2 and 2.5. that focus on legal and regulatory framework assessment, economic and financial framework assessment and social awareness and acceptance measures. Updates on progress and future deliverables underlined the importance of effective dissemination and stakeholder engagement to ensure alignment with the overarching objectives of the project.
While the specific objective of WP2 is to “Support public authorities to improve social, regulatory and economic frameworks for green hydrogen implementation and provide business models for industry stakeholders«, WP3 aims to set up a hydrogen ecosystem network. Ongoing activities 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3, which focus on Stakeholder analysis, expert interviews and systems thinking model for hydrogen ecosystems, were presented on the second day of the project meeting. Discussions highlighted the need for coordination between the work packages to ensure that all activities are aligned with stakeholder needs and contribute to the successful deployment of hydrogen technologies.
The meeting demonstrated strong collaboration between the project partners across all work packages. The discussions reinforced the common commitment to advance hydrogen technologies and achieve the ambitious goals of the HyEfRe project.
