10–12 November 2026 | Nova Gorica and Gorizia
SAVE THE DATE. The 6th edition of the Hydrogen Ecosystem North Adriatic Conference will take place from 10 to 12 November 2026 in Nova Gorica and Gorizia.
12 and 13 November 2025 | Nova Gorica and Gorizia
The 5th Hydrogen Ecosystem North Adriatic Conference, held on 12 and 13 November 2025 in Nova Gorica and Gorizia, once again brought together policymakers, industry leaders, researchers and investors shaping the hydrogen transition in the region.
Co organised by ECUBES and META Circularity, both NAHV partners, the Conference continues to act as a strategic platform for aligning implementation, regulatory development and investment perspectives across the North Adriatic hydrogen ecosystem.
As an NAHV Partner Event, it provided a space to openly address progress, bottlenecks and next steps at a moment when hydrogen ecosystems across Europe are increasingly positioned as instruments of competitiveness and resilience
NAHV Results and Challenges Presented
During the session “Nord Adriatic Hydrogen Ecosystem: Results, lessons, and challenges shared”, Jerneja Sedlar, Coordinator of NAHV, presented the current status of implementation.
The presentation addressed concrete progress across industrial, energy and transport testbeds, as well as the key challenges that stand out:
- Cross-border coordination across three regulatory environments.
- Permitting and procurement delays are affecting hydrogen production timelines.
- Infrastructure readiness and co-financing gaps for certain testbeds.
- Certification schemes are still in the early implementation phase.
One element that stood out was the transition from planning to operational structuring. While only one hydrogen production output is currently operational, clearer roadmaps for production and end use are being developed, together with business model preparation for hydrogen trading within NAHV.
Regulatory Sandbox and Certification
A distinctive dimension highlighted at the Conference was regulatory innovation.
Within WP8, NAHV partners are developing a Regulatory Sandbox framework to enable controlled testing of hydrogen solutions across Italy, Slovenia and Croatia.
The transnational nature of this approach was presented as a structural added value.
In parallel, work on implementing a renewable hydrogen certification scheme is progressing, including coordination with recognised voluntary schemes and national issuing bodies. Certification remains a critical enabling condition for cross-border hydrogen exchange and market confidence.
From Demonstration to Institutional Maturity
Research presented during the Conference examined risk typologies in green hydrogen investments and the institutional development of hydrogen ecosystems in Europe.
NAHV was described as a transnational hydrogen initiative focused on end-to-end demonstration and as an important environment for institutional experimentation and cross-border governance.
The broader Conference discussions reinforced that hydrogen ecosystems are central to Europe’s competitiveness and decarbonisation strategy. For NAHV, this increases the importance of governance capacity, regulatory coherence and replication potential.
Looking Ahead
The Conference confirmed that the next phase for NAHV requires:
- Acceleration of permitting and construction.
- Clear production and end-use roadmaps.
- Development of hydrogen trading business models.
- Continued regulatory and certification alignment.
As an NAHV Partner Event, the Hydrogen Ecosystem North Adriatic Conference remains a key forum where implementation progress is assessed and strategic direction is shaped collectively.
🔗 More information: www.hydrogen-ecosystem.eu
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