Norway and Germany signed joint declarations on Thursday in Oslo regarding the increase in renewable energy production and the development of green industry, in the context in which the two countries, allies within NATO, are trying to reduce their CO2 emissions, and Germany to – decreases its dependence on Russian gas, Reuters informs, Agerpres reads.

The statements highlight steps for cooperation in the fields of hydrogen, technology and offshore wind power, as well as carbon storage, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store and German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said. „It is a period full of challenges in Europe because of the war in Ukraine. In the midst of the energy crisis, we see how important Norway is as a reliable supplier of gas to Europe, but we also see how essential it is to make the change to renewable energy faster,” said the Norwegian chief executive.

Norway’s state-controlled company Equinor and Germany’s RWE announced Thursday morning that they plan to develop an industrial chain based on the production and consumption of hydrogen, which would allow Germany to reduce its energy production in coal-fired power plants.

Starting last year, Norway took over from Russia the status of the largest gas supplier in Europe, the main exporter being the Equinor company, after the Russian giant Gazprom massively reduced its gas exports to the west of the European continent.

Agerpres