Equinor's headquarters in Fornebu near Oslo
Absent demand dents Norway’s blue ambitions
Equinor and Shell put Norwegian export pipeline and blue hydrogen production plans on hold as demand fails to materialise
Norway’s ambitions to become a key supplier of low-carbon hydrogen to Europe have suffered a setback, with plans to develop a pipeline to Germany put on hold because of a lack of demand. Norwegian state-owned energy firm Equinor and oil major Shell have both withdrawn from a project—led by Norwegian state-owned gas network operator Gassco—to study the viability of a pipeline to take blue hydrogen produced in Norway to Germany. Both firms have blamed a lack of demand for their withdrawals, which have also triggered the cancellation of upstream blue hydrogen production projects in Norway. “We do not see enough market pull for Blue H2” Shell “We can confirm that we, at this time, do not
Also in this section
9 March 2026
Hydrogen has not stalled in the UK because the technology does not work. The problem is that the system around it does not yet move at the speed required
4 March 2026
Turmoil in Middle East reminds nascent clean hydrogen sector that its future prospects are dependent on global energy markets and geopolitics
25 February 2026
Low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia development is advancing much more slowly and unevenly than once expected, with high costs and policy uncertainty thinning investment. Meanwhile, surging energy demand is reinforcing the role of natural gas and LNG as the backbone of the global energy system, panellists at LNG2026 said
18 February 2026
Norwegian energy company has dropped a major hydrogen project and paused its CCS expansion plans as demand fails to materialise
