The Energy Future with Martin

*Martin Kjäll-Ohlsson*, *Executive Vice President / Managing Director Vergia* AS

This article is part of Energy Future, a video series featuring Energy Valley members and their vision for tomorrow’s energy landscape.

Jump to the bottom for Martin’s full video

Taking Risks to Realize Hydrogen Projects: Vergia’s Role in the Energy Transition

Martin Kjäll-Ohlsson is the Managing Director of Vergia AS, a hydrogen project development platform dedicated to advancing the energy transition. Vergia’s impact lies in its willingness to take risks in the early phases of hydrogen project development; risks that not all companies are prepared to take on. By stepping into this role, Vergia helps realize projects that might otherwise never get off the ground.

🔗 The Red Thread: Tackling Challenges

For Kjäll-Ohlsson, no two days look the same. With development activities spread across Northern Europe, his work is defined by variety and challenge. “A typical day doesn’t really exist,” he explains. “But generally speaking, understanding the challenges our teams have, and helping them solve them, is perhaps the red thread across the development activities that we have.”

This hands-on approach – interacting with development teams, following up with owners, and navigating obstacles – keeps Vergia agile and responsive in a fast-moving industry.

🌐 Collaboration… and a focus on the next generation

As Kjäll-Ohlsson notes, Vergia is part of Energy Valley because collaboration is central to its mission. He points out that membership provides opportunities to connect with other companies to exchange ideas, and learn from one another’s challenges.

“There are many benefits of being a member of Energy Valley,” Kjäll-Ohlsson states. “First and foremost, it enables good collaboration between companies. Secondly, we get ideas. We learn about challenges that other companies have. And perhaps they can learn from us, too.”

Energy Valley’s platform strengthens competitiveness and helps members generate new business opportunities together. Just as importantly, it plays a role in inspiring the next generation to join the energy industry. “Without new, young, smart, bright minds, the energy transition will not happen,” Kjäll-Ohlsson emphasizes.

🌱 Motivation and Impact

Energy is something everyone needs, and for Kjäll-Ohlsson, that universality is motivating. “At Vergia, it gives me motivation to work here because I feel that we have an impact and I can contribute positively to the energy transition.”

By owning and supporting development companies in the hydrogen space, Vergia positions itself as a catalyst for innovation and progress.

🔮 A Vision for the Energy Future

Kjäll-Ohlsson’s vision for the future of energy is one of abundance, accessibility, and collaboration.

“It’s a future where energy is abundant and quite affordable for all people,” he says. “It’s also a future where we don’t fight over energy, but where we collaborate over energy. And it’s a future where energy is not only accessible, but it’s also an industry providing good jobs, exciting roles, and value to the societies we live in.”

This vision underscores the importance of both technological innovation and human collaboration: ensuring that energy remains a source of opportunity, not conflict. And it’s a vision Energy Valley is proud to share!

The Energy Future with Sille

This article is part of Energy Future, a video series featuring Energy Valley members and their vision for tomorrow’s energy landscape.

Jump to the bottom for Sille’s full video

Floating offshore wind: Unlocking new horizons in the energy transition with DNV

Sille Grjotheim, Global Segment Director for Floating Offshore Wind at DNV, is working to ensure that floating offshore wind becomes a cost-efficient and scalable industry. Her mission is clear: to push boundaries so that countries and regions where floating solutions are essential can accelerate their renewable energy ambitions.

🌐 Opportunities and Impact

For Grjotheim, motivation comes from both opportunity and impact. “I’ve been given a lot of opportunities, and I see there are lots of opportunities also in the future,” she reflects. Her role allows her to travel globally, meeting colleagues and customers, and contributing directly to the energy transition. Together, these collaborations are shaping a more sustainable future.

🤝 The Value of Collaboration

DNV’s membership in Energy Valley provides access to seminars, member events, and networking opportunities that strengthen collaboration across the energy ecosystem. These platforms help connect industry leaders and innovators, ensuring that Norwegian expertise remains competitive and relevant in the global energy transition.

🌬️ The Role of Floating Offshore Wind

Offshore wind is a cornerstone of renewable energy, but as Grjotheim points out, space for bottom-fixed installations is limited. Floating offshore wind offers a vital solution, expanding possibilities for clean energy generation in deeper waters and new geographies. “I believe floating offshore wind will play an important role in the future of energy and in making the energy transition happen.”

Recap: Subsea Seminar

*The audience taking in one of the presentations*

The subsea event on November 18th, 2025, gathered around 100 participants and created an engaging arena for discussing how Norway can maintain and strengthen its global subsea position toward 2030–2050. There was strong participation from across the industry: operators, suppliers, technology companies, and other industry representatives.

Opening of the Seminar

The seminar was opened with a welcome from Anne Line Haugen, Event and Marketing Advisor at Energy Valley, who handed the floor to Preben Strøm, the main moderator throughout the program.

Preben introduced the seminar theme: emphasizing the subsea industry as one of Norway’s strongest technological pillars, and a key enabler for both efficient oil and gas production and new value chains such as CCS and offshore wind.

Presentations and industry insights

The seminar featured several strong contributions from leading industry actors:

Equinor presented the development of All Electric Subsea and lessons from the Fram Sør project, the first deployment of the eVXT unit. The presentation highlighted how standardization and deep operator collaboration can reduce costs, accelerate field development, and support future tie-backs.
Aker BP shared insights from its highly efficient field development model, the Subsea Alliance concept, and how standardized, reusable, and digital solutions contribute to reduced costs and timely project execution.
4Subsea highlighted how data, sensor technology, and predictive analytics provide improved decision support and can extend asset lifetime, reduce emissions, and enhance integrity across subsea infrastructure.
OneSubsea presented its technology roadmap for the next generation of subsea systems, with a strong focus on modularization, collaboration, and reducing environmental footprint.
DNV provided a long-term perspective on subsea’s role in the energy transition toward 2050 and 2060, including global subsea market growth and the importance of standardization, digitalization, and integrated energy systems.

Panel discussion

Following the presentations, we moved into a panel discussion, moderated by Knut Linnerud (Energy Valley), with an exceptionally active audience, contributing the majority of the questions. This resulted in a dynamic and insightful dialogue about the future of subsea solutions.

Key discussion themes included:

How Norway can strengthen its international subsea position toward 2050
Transferring offshore oil and gas competence to CCS, offshore wind, and new value chains
Balancing long-term gas demand toward 2060 with the need for energy transition
Digitalization, standardization, and collaboration as key industry drivers
Regulatory and market mechanisms needed to accelerate innovation and investment

Closing

Preben Strøm closed the seminar with a brief summary of key takeaways, thanking the speakers and participants for their engagement and contributions to an important discussion on the opportunities and transformations facing the subsea industry.

What’s next?

The subsea industry remains one of the most pressing energy topics of our time. As a follow-up to the strong engagement from the November event, Energy Valley is planning the next Subsea member event in March 2026. This event will also be in person.

We are currently exploring collaboration with one of our key industry partners to host a combined site visit and seminar, giving members exclusive insight into state-of-the-art subsea facilities and forward-looking technology developments. Details regarding location, host and exact date will be announced shortly, so stay tuned! This will be a unique opportunity to meet industry peers, see cutting-edge subsea technology up close, and gain insight into the innovations shaping the next decade.

BalticSeaH2 awarded Hydrogen Valley of the Year

The €33 million BalticSeaH2 project is building a hydrogen valley across the Baltic Sea region, connecting hydrogen production, distribution, processing and use.

The European H2 Valley of the Year Award honours exceptional achievements in the development and implementation of Hydrogen Valleys. Criteria for the evaluation are breakthroughs in project implementation, outstanding efforts in covering the value chain, hydrogen volume produced/used in the valley, the stakeholders’ landscape and involvement, as well as the innovation level.

BalticSeaH2 builds the first significant, cross-border hydrogen valley in Europe. The goal is to create an integrated hydrogen economy around the Baltic Sea to enable self-sufficiency of energy and minimise carbon emissions from different industries. Combining local areas into a broader valley supports creating a genuinely integrated, interregional hydrogen economy, which has not been done previously on this scale in Europe.

“This award highlights that a European hydrogen economy will only succeed if it is built together across borders. Large-scale cooperation in the Baltic Sea region proves that shared ambition can drive real progress”, says Jatta Jussila, CEO of CLIC Innovation.

The project started in 2023 and runs for five years. The consortium includes 40 partners from nine Baltic Sea region countries: Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, with Energy Valley leading the Norway-specific Connected Valley activities. The project is coordinated by CLIC Innovation, an open innovation cluster based in Finland, that facilitates RDI cooperation across sectors for the sustainability transition. Gasgrid Vetyverkot is a facilitator for the collaboration in the project.

“The BalticSeaH2 project is important for moving the hydrogen economy – and energy transition – forward in Europe,” says Energy Valley CEO, Vibeke Østlyngen. “We’re proud to be a part of it and excited to see it get such positive, well-deserved attention.”

The funder, Clean Hydrogen Partnership, presented awards to its leading projects at a ceremony on 24 November 2025. The Clean Hydrogen Partnership is a public-private partnership supporting research and innovation activities in the hydrogen sector across Europe. Through this partnership, BalticSeaH2 is co-funded by the European Union.

*Susanna Kupiainen accepted the award on behalf of the valley.*

The Energy Future with Alexander

*Alexander Risøy, CEO of Init in Norway*

This article is part of Energy Future, a video series featuring Energy Valley members and their vision for tomorrow’s energy landscape.

Jump to the bottom for Alexander’s full video

Driving electrification beneath the surface: Init Norway’s vision for energy

Alexander Risøy, CEO of Init in Norway, leads the Norwegian branch of one of the largest automation companies in the Nordics, with a team of 850 specialists. The company plays a key role in advancing offshore electrification, particularly through its investment in subsea Variable Speed Drives (VSDs). These technologies enable pumps and motors to operate subsea, opening new possibilities for efficient and sustainable energy solutions.

For Risøy, the motivation for what he does comes from impact: “When you get feedback that what you have done has moved the world forward in the right direction, that’s something that is really motivating.”

🌐 Collaboration Through Energy Valley

Init has been a member of Energy Valley since the cluster’s inception. For Risøy, the value lies in bringing the right people together. As he notes, membership provides opportunities to connect with companies and individuals that members might not otherwise encounter, fostering collaboration across the energy ecosystem.

“Energy Valley ensures the competitiveness of Norwegian industry, especially in this geographic area,” Risøy explains. “And even more broadly, Energy Valley helps ensure that Norway is competitive in the international arena.”

Collaboration is a key theme for making the energy transition happen, according to Risøy. And as he notes, through workshops, networking, and shared initiatives – through that collaboration – Energy Valley helps strengthen Norway’s position in the global energy transition.

🔋 A Vision for the Energy Future

Norway has long benefited from secure access to energy, but Risøy emphasizes the importance of extending that reliability worldwide. His vision is clear: a future where energy is not only secure, but also sustainable and accessible across the globe.

“My ideal energy future is that we, globally, have reliable, secure, sustainable energy. That’s the energy future I would like to see.”

Watch the full video with Alexander:

The Energy Future with Tine

*Tine Uberg Nærland*, Research Director of Energy Systems at IFE

Jump to the bottom for Tine’s full video

Solving Tomorrow’s Energy Challenges Today: A Glimpse Inside IFE

In the heart of Norway’s energy innovation landscape, the Institute for Energy Technology (IFE) stands as a beacon of scientific problem-solving and sustainable ambition. Heading up its Energy Systems division is Tine Uberg Nærland, a physicist and research director whose passion for collaboration and cutting-edge technology is helping shape the future of energy.

🔬 A Hub of Energy Innovation

IFE is no ordinary research institute. Specializing in energy technologies, its work spans sectors such as solar power, energy storage – including batteries and hydrogen – corrosion technology, and advanced flow simulation and modelling.

“You can basically throw any problem at us, and we will be able to solve it,” says Nærland with a smile.

The team at IFE is composed of highly skilled and deeply committed scientists. Their motivation stems not just from intellectual curiosity, but from a shared mission: to tackle global energy challenges and make the world a better place.

🤝 Strengthening Collaboration Across the Energy Sector

IFE is a long-time member of Energy Valley where, as Tine notes, membership provides valuable opportunities to engage with a broad spectrum of companies working across the energy value chain. From established industry players to emerging startups, this network fosters meaningful connections and knowledge exchange.

“The biggest benefit for IFE being a member of Energy Valley is of course the network with the companies,” Nærland explains. “But it’s also the events and workshops where very important topics are addressed… where we really see where the challenges lie ahead.”

These collaborative spaces foster dialogue, insight, and alignment across sectors; an essential ingredient for accelerating the transition to renewable energy.

🌍 Toward an Electrified Future

Nærland envisions a future where fossil fuels are replaced by renewables, and where industries work together to build an electrified, sustainable energy system. “We need the different sectors and industries to work together and understand each other,” she emphasizes.

It’s a vision rooted in cooperation, innovation, and the belief that science – when paired with strong networks – can drive transformative change.

Watch the full video with Tine:

Meet our CEO and Chairperson

*Energy Valley CEO Vibeke Østlyngen and Chairperson Vilde Bjerknes*

You might have noticed there have been a few changes at Energy Valley in the last several months. However, while we announced a shift in CEOs, we haven’t spoken broadly about our new Chairperson of the Board yet. So, we’d like to take the opportunity now to introduce you to our new Chairperson, as well as go a bit more in-depth with our CEO in this interview with the two of them.

In Q3 2025, Vibeke Østlyngen stepped into the role of (interim) CEO after having worked in Energy Valley as the Head of Projects and Administration since 2023. Around the same time, Vilde Bjerknes, who has been a member of the Board for over a year, stepped into the role of Chairperson of the Board.

Now, while it’s human nature to be nervous about change, the latest changes in Energy Valley leadership are not so much massive changes as they are a natural shift with a renewed focus on what the cluster needs to continue to grow and bring additional value to our members.

“For the Energy Valley cluster, I think the role change represents stability and continuity,” confirms Vibeke. “There will be a continuation in the cluster administration, as I have been in Energy Valley since the end of 2023, and worked closely with both the previous CEOs Preben Strøm and Bjørn Ottar Elseth.”

The sentiment was similar from Vilde who said, “I don’t think the change will be jarring, as I will be continuing on much of the work from my predecessors. As Chair of the Board, I have the opportunity to follow the Energy Valley administration closely through Vibeke, and what excites me is the opportunity to support the good work being done among the members and catered for by the Energy Valley team. I truly believe that clusters like Energy Valley play an important role in developing the energy industry, and I look forward to continuing to be a part of it.”

Continuity and collaboration

Having already worked together for some time now, both women see collaboration as one of the key strengths going forward.

“The way I see it, my role is twofold: make sure the Board functions as a place where we can discuss and set a direction for Energy Valley that reflects the needs and expectation of the members,” says Vilde. “In addition, I will support Vibeke in executing the strategy the best I can; I hope to be a valuable sparring partner for her and the team, helping enable Vibeke, together with the administration, in ensuring Energy Valley delivers on the projects and cluster activities from day-to-day.”

“In Energy Valley, we are fortunate to have an active and supporting Board focusing on the future of the cluster, and caring for how we support our members,” confirms Vibeke. “Vilde and I support each other in driving Energy Valley forward – I focus on the operational part and she more so on the strategic side.”

And as Vibeke likes to say, “Cooperation, curiosity, and an open mind will always bring us forward faster.”

What does success look like?

As Vilde points out, the energy business is in the middle of a transformation, presenting both significant opportunities and some challenges for our members.

“Energy Valley has a solid member base and a well-established approach to supporting the members in developing their business accordingly,” she notes. “But funding may be a challenge going forward, and I believe that we must look for extended cooperation and potentially new structures to secure a robust cluster for the future.”

“Success in the cluster is seeing the members and partners being activity involved preparing the energy system for the future,” says Vibeke. “For the cluster administration, that means we are facilitating a good environment for collaboration.”

Part of facilitating that good environment is having a broad understanding of what other organisations in the energy space – and even other nations – are focusing on and continuously developing industry knowledge. Later this month, Vibeke and Vilde are paying a visit to the Danish energy cluster to do exactly that.

“We sometimes work together with Energy Cluster Denmark on projects, such as a cooperation project with Energy Cluster Denmark funded by Viken, and the currently on-going BalticSeaH2 project,” says Vibeke, “and really appreciate the opportunity for knowledge-sharing with them.”

Keeping the members front and centre

No matter who you ask in Energy Valley, the members are always the primary focus for all of us. And if you are a member (or considering becoming one!), we’d like to hear from you.

“To deliver value, we must understand our members’ needs, so I encourage everyone to suggest and promote activities they find valuable. Energy Valley should be defined by its members. The role of both the team and the board is simply to support the community and help it thrive,” concludes Vilde.

Reflections from Oslo Innovation Week

During Oslo Innovation Week, Energy Valley held a two-session event, together with Capgemini. Here are some of the key takeaways…

SESSION I

Building the Future of Talent

What does it really take to build global companies out of Norway — and what kind of leadership and talent will define our next chapter? At our “Building the Future of Talent” session during Oslo Innovation Week, Energy Valley’s Preben Strøm explored these questions together with John Markus Lervik (Cognite), Snorre Valdimarsson (Thommessen) and two outstanding Future Energy Leaders — Shipra Mohan and Bielenis Villanueva Triana.

Discussion on what it takes to be successful in the drive for talent

A few takeaways stood out:

💡 “The combination of grit and deep domain competence is crucial for success when building a global tech company.”

John Markus Lervik, reminding us that endurance and expertise matter more than hype – and that life balance, not work/life balance, is what truly counts.

💡 “We should nurture and support business talents the same way we do with sports talents.”

Norway needs to get better at identifying and investing early in people who can scale ideas globally.

💡 “The best and most efficient employees are women with small kids.”

Snorre Valdimarsson highlighted that diversity is not just fair, it’s efficient – and that inclusion is a competitive advantage.

💡 “Norway is a great country to live in – and to build your career.”

As one of our Future Energy Leaders put it.

Panel discussion: Building the Future of Talents

At the core of the discussion was a shared belief:
👉 Talent is Norway’s most important resource, but how we develop, empower and trust that talent will determine whether we stay a local success story or become a truly global one.

SESSION II

The Power of Energy Efficiency in Industry Innovation

Alexander Glowacki (Senior Lead Strategist & People Manager, Strategy, Design & AI, frog, part of Capgemini Invent) had some key takeaways from the second session of the day. Here’s what he had to say…

Most people agree that great collaboration drives innovation. Yet, establishing valuable partnerships remains a challenge.

During Oslo Innovation Week, we tackled this topic through an intimate workshop on energy efficiency collaboration. Together with Simoen Moxnes from Equinor and Gina Arnestad from Statnett, we identified real barriers and actionable solutions for founder-corporate partnerships.

Equinor: the energy transition IS happening!

Three key barriers

Speed mismatch:
Startups need to move fast to survive. Industry majors need time to navigate complex decision-making. This creates friction.

Navigation complexity:
The sheer size of corporations makes it difficult for younger companies to identify the right entry points for partnerships.

Communication gaps:
Misaligned language and expectations create friction. What startups call “partnership” might mean something entirely different to a corporate.

The good news…

Don’t worry, in spite of the barriers, it’s not all doom and gloom! Progress IS happening! Equinor is engaging with Innovation Dock and StartupLab. Statnett has built a portal for partnership submissions.

But we need continued dialogue to bridge the existing gaps.

Here’s a perspective shift: innovation in energy efficiency isn’t new. In the early 1900s, whale oil dominated lighting before kerosene took over. Today, LED technology reigns supreme.

So, here’s a question for us all to contemplate: What will be the “whale oil” of our time? What seems essential today but will be obsolete in 20 years?

Tomorrow Show 2025: AI and Collaboration at the Core

*Preben Strøm onstage at Tomorrow Show 2025*

On Thursday, September 25, Tomorrow Show 2025 brought together leading figures in digitalization, energy, and technology at The Hub. The conference focused on how artificial intelligence, data, and cross-industry collaboration are driving new business models, transforming work processes, and influencing geopolitics and security.

Energy Valley’s CCO, Preben Strøm, gave a presentation on behalf of the cluster, delivering a clear message about the importance of collaboration across value chains. He emphasized the need to strengthen small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through skills development and partnerships, enabling them to play an active role in the digital and green transition. His presentation was well received and positioned Energy Valley as a key voice in the discussion on how Norwegian players can become part of a global digital ecosystem.

Knut Linnerud, Energy Valley’s EU advisor and project manager for the AI Energy Cluster, was also in attendance and took the opportunity to follow the presentations on stage and network with key representatives from business, technology, and research communities.

AI Energy Cluster: Energy Valley’s AI Initiative

Alongside participation in the conference, Energy Valley is actively working to further develop the AI Energy Cluster—an initiative that brings together energy companies, tech firms, R&D actors, and SMEs in a joint effort to integrate artificial intelligence into the energy system.

The goals:

Create a structured collaboration platform for AI in the energy sector
Build expertise and practical case studies through webinars, workshops, and professional gatherings
Identify concrete project opportunities and connect them to national and international funding schemes
Position Norwegian players in larger European initiatives, such as Horizon Europe and Digital Europe

Currently, we are working with our partners to chart the path forward, with a clear ambition to strengthen collaboration and build an AI and energy ecosystem that delivers tangible results and new opportunities for our members.

The road ahead

Tomorrow Show 2025 clearly demonstrated that AI, data, and digitalization are no longer add-ons—they are the foundation for future value creation, security, and competitiveness. For Energy Valley, this is a strong confirmation that we are on the right track with the AI Energy Cluster—and that collaboration between major players, SMEs, and research communities is the key to unlocking its potential.

Want to get involved?

If you’re interested in joining Energy Valley’s AI Energy Cluster or want more information, reach out to Knut Linnerud (email) or (mobile: +47 922 25 432).

Recap: New Energy Women in Stavanger

The event was focused on “Hydrogen: From ambition to reality” and was aimed at expanding professional networks within the hydrogen space as well as building on NEW members’ understanding of the green hydrogen opportunities and challenges, technology, and value chain.

CEO Vibeke Østlyngen was in attendance and had this to say about it:

It was a powerful afternoon at Worley Rosenberg last week when 80+ women gathered to discuss the green hydrogen opportunities and challenges, technology and value chain.

Main takeaways:

We need common policies and regulations to standardise
The European hydrogen market is growing — slowly but steadily
Cost must come down, and it must be more expensive to pollute – CO2 pricing will be a gamechanger

Special thanks to Oriana Duran and Worley Rosenberg for hosting the event and to the NEW initiative for organizing, together with Women in Green Hydrogen.

➡️ The New Energy Women (NEW) initiative is a cooperation between ABB and some of the energy clusters in Norway: H2Cluster, Norwegian Offshore Wind Cluster, Energy Valley, and Fornybar Norge.

Additional takeaways

H2Cluster also took part in the event and had these key points:

🔺 Trust among stakeholders is critical to mature projects.

🔺 Concerns around the slow pace of project development in Europe.

🔺 Global momentum is strong: Brazil, Australia, North Africa, China, and the Middle East are moving fast.

🔺 Chinese electrolyzer OEMs offering CAPEX benefits that may outweigh European subsidies.

Want to get involved?

Stay tuned for the next New Energy Women gathering coming up as we will visit Rystad Energy in Oslo.

Recap in pictures

Did you miss the event? Here are a few of our favourite pictures from the event: