Europe’s first transnational Hydrogen Valley is taking shape in the North Adriatic, uniting Croatia, Italy’s Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, and Slovenia in a bold decarbonisation effort. The North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley (NAHV) initiative brings together 37 partners, including industrial players, research institutions, and governments, to create a coordinated pathway for renewable hydrogen production and use. This large-scale collaboration is not just about deploying hydrogen; it’s about building a long-term ecosystem that integrates production, storage, transport, and industrial use.
NAHV’s vision is to generate 5,000 tonnes of renewable hydrogen annually by 2030, focusing on sectors where decarbonisation alternatives are limited. The initiative is structured around 17 industrial testbed projects, operating in hard-to-abate sectors such as energy, mobility, manufacturing, and waste management. Jerneja Sedlar, NAHV Project Coordinator and representative of Slovenia’s leading energy provider HSE, emphasises the importance of this cross-border partnership. “The North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley (NAHV) represents a unique cross-border partnership that brings together industry, research institutions, municipalities, and governments with one shared vision: to accelerate the transition to a sustainable hydrogen economy. Our work focuses on creating a fully integrated hydrogen ecosystem – from production and storage to transport and industrial use.”
The NAHV’s approach is not just about pilot projects; it’s about creating reference cases that can be replicated and scaled across borders. The initiative has spun the development of a wider Hydrogen Ecosystem North Adriatic, a regional platform uniting institutions, investors, and technology developers. This ecosystem is supported by complementary projects like the North Adriatic Clean Hydrogen Investment Platform (NACHIP), H2Ready, and the North Adriatic Smart Communities Hydrogen Accelerator (NASCHA). These projects support investment readiness and accelerate the market adoption of hydrogen-based solutions.
One of NAHV’s flagship infrastructure assets is the Hydrogen Hub Trieste, developed by AcegasApsAmga. The facility, launched on 18 September 2025, is designed as both a production site and a distribution platform for renewable hydrogen. It combines €15.8m from Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan and €1.5m from Horizon Europe, exceeding €20m in total investment. The Hub will feature a 5 MW electrolyser powered by a 4.8 MW photovoltaic park, producing around 370 tonnes of renewable hydrogen annually. The site is positioned next to the waste-to-energy plant, allowing wastewater from thermal recovery processes to be reused in hydrogen production, creating a circular energy loop.
The NAHV’s message is clear: hydrogen is becoming the central pillar of industrial and territorial innovation in the North Adriatic. As the initiative advances, it could set a precedent for other regions in Europe, demonstrating how large-scale collaboration and a long-term ecosystem approach can drive the clean energy transition. The success of NAHV could also influence policy decisions, encouraging more governments to invest in hydrogen infrastructure and supporting the development of similar initiatives across the continent. Moreover, the initiative’s focus on practical transformation and its integration of various stakeholders could pave the way for a more cohesive and effective approach to decarbonisation in Europe.