The European Union (EU) has set ambitious climate goals – to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 and achieve climate neutrality by 2050. The transition to renewable energy, including green hydrogen as an energy carrier, will play a major role in achieving these ambitious goals, the EU has determined. The successful development of green hydrogen will require broad cross-sectoral mobilization and close cooperation between the public and private sectors.

The Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry is involved in the implementation of the EU’s climate neutrality goals as part of the Green Hydra project. In April of this year, an international cooperation project was launched within the framework of the Interreg Europe 2020-2027 program, aimed at improving green hydrogen policies. The Green Hydra project (Improving policies for engaging SMEs in the green hydrogen ecosystem) is led by the Municipality of Ravenna (Italy), and 10 partners from various types of organizations are also participating in the project. The project is jointly financed by the ERDF and the budgets of the participating countries and regions, the total budget of the Green Hydra project is 2,254,967 euros.

The project is implemented by organizations from Italy, Bulgaria, Poland, Spain, Ireland, Cyprus, Norway, Croatia, Latvia, the Netherlands and Slovenia – state or local government representatives, chambers of commerce and research institutions. Learning from good practices in Europe, the applicability of hydrogen will be assessed, paying special attention to SMEs, potential involvement in hydrogen ecosystems. LTRK has been involved in the Green Hydra project as one of the project implementation partners, representing Latvia as a region. In the case of Latvia, the energy policy planning document is the Latvian National Climate and Energy Plan 2021-2030 and, accordingly, the Ministry of Climate and Energy has been involved in the project as a related policy institution.

An important part of the successful implementation of the project are the stakeholder working groups, which will be established in each of the partner countries or municipalities. The working groups will follow the implementation of the Green Hydra project, its members are open to gaining new knowledge about hydrogen development from good practice examples in Europe, and will also support the project implementers in preparing good practice examples. The Latvian working group consists of policymakers, scientists, as well as representatives of the private sector. The Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry will not only ensure that the information obtained in the project reaches interested parties, but will also promote dialogue between the public and private sectors.

The Green Hydra project was launched in 2024 and will last until the beginning of 2028. More about the project: Green Hydra | Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ltrk.lv)

The project is co-financed by the Interreg Europe program.