From left to right: Bielenis Villanueva Triana, Marianne Blikø, Aurora Høines Baardsen, Monique Swanepoel, Ida Lindtveit Røse, Linnea Espevik, Tommy Haugen, Pawel Jaworski, Martina Civitella, Mehdi Foroughi
On 04 March, the FEL Norway cohort visited Stortinget and spent time with Ida Lindtveit Røse, deputy leader of the Kristelig Folkeparti.
Experience from the FEL perspective
Ida shared her journey from serving on her school’s student council, through youth politics, to her current roles as Member of Parliament, parliamentary leader, and deputy leader.
Some key takeaways from the discussion with Ida: 👉 Say yes to challenges – people rarely ask you to take on responsibility unless they believe you are capable of it. 👉 Build a feedback culture where giving and receiving constructive input is normal. The ability to handle honest, critical feedback is essential for growth as both a leader and a community. Without it, unhealthy cultures can take root. 👉 As a (young) leader, it helps to remember that no one expects you to have all the answers. Trust your team, surround yourself with strong people, and let them contribute.
Members of the FEL cohort, listening in
“It was inspiring to meet such a passionate leader and hear how the support of others has shaped her journey.”
Robustness in an increasingly complex energy system
How do we strengthen the robustness of an integrated energy system when the threat landscape is becoming more complex across technologies, actors, and types of risk?
This was the central question when Energy Valley and DNV brought together authorities, industry, technology suppliers, and research communities for a security seminar at Høvik on 10 February.
The seminar took a distinctly national perspective, focusing on Norwegian frameworks, responsibilities, and practices, while also acknowledging the international links to technology development, supply chains, and security policy as an essential part of the backdrop.
A more complex risk landscape
A recurring insight throughout the day was that the risk picture in the energy system has become both more complex and more dynamic. Events that were previously considered extraordinary – whether digital, physical, or climate‑related – now appear to be part of a new normal.
Vulnerabilities increasingly arise:
at the interfaces between systems
in the dependencies between actors
and in the connection between physical and digital infrastructure
This places new demands on prevention, preparedness, and the ability to handle the unexpected.
The power system as a critical part of the energy system
Several presentations highlighted the power system as a critical component of the broader energy system, characterized by a high degree of digitalization and interconnection.
DNV’s presentations illustrated how:
physical incidents, climate extremes, and technical failures…
as well as digital vulnerabilities in components, control systems, and supply chains…
…can create system‑wide effects far beyond the power grid itself, thereby impacting society as a whole.
A key point was that robustness cannot be reduced to isolated technical measures. It must be understood as an interplay between:
technology and system design
organization and governance
competence and security culture
From analysis to practice
Perspectives from the energy industry emphasized that substantial work is already being done today within risk management, preparedness, and the protection of critical assets.
At the same time, it became clear that:
new value chains and energy solutions challenge established ways of working
hybrid threats blur the line between ICT security and physical security
collaboration across companies and sectors is becoming increasingly important
Robustness is therefore not only about managing known risks, but also about the ability to learn, adapt, and collaborate.
Collaboration and priorities going forward
The panel discussion tied the day’s themes together and highlighted the need for:
clearer understanding of roles and responsibilities
better mechanisms for sharing information and experience
more joint exercises and cross‑actor collaboration
There are no simple answers to how we strengthen the robustness of the energy system. But one conclusion stood out clearly:
This is not something that any single actor, sector, or technology can solve alone.
The road ahead
The seminar demonstrated the value of bringing diverse perspectives together around a shared understanding of risk and to discuss security and robustness as a system‑level responsibility, not as isolated issues.
The dialogue continued even after the formal program ended, through networking and conversations across disciplines; exactly as the event was intended to function.
Energy Valley and DNV thank all speakers, panellists, and participants for their openness and engagement, and we look forward to continuing the discussions!
A note from EU Advisor Knut Linnerud
If you are interested in taking this dialogue further – particularly at the intersection of AI, energy systems and security – we invite you to connect with us.
Energy Valley is currently advancing the next strategic phase of the AI Energy Cluster, where safety, resilience, and responsible implementation of AI in energy systems are central pillars. The initiative brings together industry, technology providers, research environments, and public stakeholders to strengthen practical deployment of AI in a secure and sustainable way.
We welcome companies and organizations that want to engage more closely in this work – whether through existing initiatives, pilot projects, or new collaborative ideas.
As EU Advisor at Energy Valley, I am also happy to support stakeholders in:
Mapping relevant European and national funding opportunities
Positioning existing initiatives within upcoming EU programmes
Developing new project concepts linked to AI, energy and security
Connecting with relevant partners across sectors and countries
If you see opportunities for collaboration, funding or strategic alignment, please don’t hesitate to reach out. The complexity of tomorrow’s energy system requires coordinated action – and we believe collaboration is the most powerful accelerator.
From left to right: Martina Civitella, Marianne Blikø, Mehdi Foroughi, Linnea Espevik, Bielenis Villanueva Triana, Maria Moræus Hanssen, Sebastian Kihle, Tobias Kern, Pawel Jaworski, Aurora Baardsen, Monique Swanepoel
Over the past year, Future Energy Leaders (FEL) Norway, in close dialogue with Energy Valley, have engaged in mentorship sessions, panels, and ecosystem events that brought emerging leaders together with experienced voices from across the energy sector.
Through conversations on leadership, technology, talent, and collaboration, the cohort has focused on learning leadership as a lived practice – one that is shaped by people, perspective, and real-world complexity.
Looking ahead, we are excited to continue this journey with more mentorship sessions, a planned visit to the Stortinget, and ongoing work on The Voice of FEL, a collective project capturing insights from our leadership dialogues. We also look forward to welcoming the group that will shape the second cohort of FEL Norway.
As we move into the year ahead, we welcome collaboration and dialogue with organisations and individuals who share an interest in developing future-ready energy leadership – feel free to reach out to our cohort leader Aurora Baardsen.
From Insight to Application: Lessons from Energy Valley’s EU Innovation Fund Workshop
Presentation during the workshop
On 22 January, Energy Valley hosted an EU Innovation Fund workshop in Fornebu, organised in collaboration with Innovayt and REspire. The workshop followed up on our Innovation Fund webinar held in December, and marked the next step in moving from general understanding to concrete project positioning.
The objective of the workshop was clear: to help companies better understand how Innovation Fund projects are actually evaluated, and to test early-stage project ideas against the programme’s key criteria through a practical project idea clinic.
What we learned
A central takeaway from the workshop was that none of the project ideas presented were sufficiently mature to be submitted to Innovation Fund calls with deadlines in 2026. This is not unusual, and should rather be seen as a valuable and realistic checkpoint early in the process.
At the same time, several participants clearly have project ideas with long-term potential, either:
within other EU or national funding programmes, or
as candidates for a future Innovation Fund call, for example in 2027, given the right development path.
The discussions highlighted that many companies underestimate the level of integration required across innovation, GHG avoidance, financial robustness and project maturity in order to be competitive in the Innovation Fund.
Looking into Part III: Next Steps
A format that works… but can be improved
The combination of:
a general introductory webinar, and
a physical workshop with expert input and an interactive idea clinic,
proved to be a strong and effective model. Participants gained clearer insight into evaluator logic and were able to stress-test their ideas in a constructive setting.
At the same time, the workshop confirmed that:
earlier clarification of what constitutes a relevant Innovation Fund project would benefit participants, and
more time is needed in the practical project discussions to allow deeper case-specific feedback.
For future editions, Energy Valley sees clear value in engaging with interested companies earlier in the process, through short preparatory webinars and/or individual meetings ahead of physical workshops.
Discussions during breaks
What this means for Energy Valley Members
Innovation Fund remains a highly relevant instrument for large-scale, impactful energy and decarbonisation projects – but it requires long-term preparation and realistic timing.
Energy Valley will continue to support members by:
providing early-stage guidance and reality checks,
facilitating dialogue with experienced advisors and evaluators, and
helping companies navigate the wider landscape of EU and national funding opportunities.
If your company is exploring project ideas that could be relevant for EU funding – whether in the short or longer term – we encourage you to reach out for a dialogue.
Key contacts for EU funding advisory
Energy Valley Knut Linnerud – EU Advisor 📧 knut.linnerud@energyvalley.com 🌐www.energyvalley.com
Innovayt Daniel Gomes – Senior Consultant 📧 danielgomes@innovayt.eu 🌐www.innovayt.eu
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!
Sille Grjotheim, Global Segment Director for Floating Offshore Wind at DNV
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.”
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.
A few images from the event…
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.
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.
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.”
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.
