International Climate Summit India

Excellencies,

ladies and gentlemen,

On behalf of the Norwegian government, let me thank the host and partners of the International Climate Summit for bringing us together here today.

Why? Because climate change knows no borders.

Our common challenge is to cut emissions while ensuring affordable and secure energy for all. That is indeed a tall order, but failure is not an option. There is no doubt that we need to cooperate across borders to achieve our goals.

There is another perspective to this endeavour. A perspective of opportunity.

The green shift presents opportunities for new industries, jobs and economic growth. Hydrogen is a good example.

As we all know,  

Hydrogen has the potential to realize low- to zero emission solutions in sectors like transportation, industry, and shipping. And thus, to be the foundation for numerous green jobs.

Hydrogen is also a good partner to a energy sector with an expected tremendous growth in variable, renewable energy sources.

To achieve that, we need to continue the development of technology with a strong focus on safety aspects. We also need to develop infrastructure and thus functioning markets, both domestic and overseas.

And in June this year, the Norwegian government presented a White Paper: "Energy to Work" - long-term value creation from Norwegian energy resources.

This is the most important energy- and industry plan in decades, describing the next chapter in the story of Norway as an energy nation.

Naturally, hydrogen plays an important part in this paper. With a roadmap for hydrogen that gives directions for Norway's efforts, building on our existing technologies and competence.

Our ambition is – within ten years – that hydrogen is established as a real alternative in the maritime sector as well as being matured as an industrial alternative.

To contribute,

we aim to establish - within the next four years - hydrogen hubs for maritime sector, up to two industrial scale value chains and up to ten pilots for even more cost-effective hydrogen solutions.

And I am glad Norway is not alone in having these aspirations.  The Government of India should be commended for its high ambitions.

I know India is the world's third biggest consumer and producer of energy with consumption expected to grow rapidly also in the decades ahead.

By launching ambitious targets for developing clean energy, India and its businesses are making a major contribution towards mitigating climate change.

Such as Reliance Industries, announcing an investment of staggering ten billion dollars in renewable energy the next three years.

And not least, the Indian government launching the National Hydrogen Mission, signalling that India may be a key player in the field of hydrogen in the years to come.

This is exactly why I see great potential for cooperation on hydrogen development between our two countries.

One major step was taken earlier this year, when Greenstat and Indian Oil signed an agreement on establishing India-Norway Hydrogen Centre of Excellence.

I certainly hope to see more like this in the future.

Dear friends,

I am certain that an increase of hydrogen in the energy mix will be important to reduce greenhouse emissions globally. A closer collaboration between Indian and Norwegian companies can definitely accelerate our steps towards a common low-emission future.

The best of luck with today's summit and thank you for your attention!