Recap of the NEFI Technology Talk "Hydrogen Valley Meets NEFI – Best Practices for Austria's H₂ Future"

Hydrogen is more than merely an energy carrier; it is a key enabler of tomorrow’s climate-neutral industrial landscape. The NEFI Technology Talk “Hydrogen Valley meets NEFI – Best Practices for Austria’s H₂ Future”, hosted by Business Upper Austria, centred precisely on this future: How can Austria strategically leverage its hydrogen potential, accelerate innovation, and assume a leading position within Europe?

Following opening by Dorian Wessely (Business Upper Austria), a series of high-level keynote presentations opened the afternoon.
Volker Schaffler and Arno Gattinger (Federal Ministry for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure) provided insights into the strategic policy decisions underpinning the development of a climate-neutral hydrogen economy in Austria.
Michael Soder (Vienna Chamber of Labour) outlined industrial-policy opportunities and challenges from the perspective of employee representation.

Subsequent industry keynotes presented concrete projects and strategic approaches.
Margherita Matzer (WIVA P&G) introduced the vision and objectives of Hydrogen Valley Austria; Erich Lugbauer (Gas Connect Austria / TAG GmbH) reported on current developments in gas infrastructure; and Bernhard Pribyl-Kranewitter (VERBUND / HIAA) offered an overview of the Hydrogen Import Alliance Austria’s strategy, spanning pilot activities to large-scale imports from 2030 onwards.

After a short coffee break and networking session, representatives from the Federal Ministry for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure, the Vienna Chamber of Labour, HIAA and TAG GmbH engaged in a panel discussion moderated by Elvira Lutter (WIVA P&G), addressing the central question: What hydrogen infrastructure does Austria require?

The subsequent programme highlighted best-practice examples.
Urban Peyker (Climate and Energy Fund) presented the new RTI initiative for industrial transformation, endowed with a funding volume of EUR 60 million.
Irmela Kofler (K1-MET) showcased the Hy4Smelt project, aimed at decarbonising the metallurgical sector.
Sorin Ivanovici (OMV) delineated the company’s current strategies and hydrogen projects.

The event concluded with a keynote by Matthias Ebner and Esmaeil Esmaeili (Wien Energie GmbH), who discussed current trends and strategic developments in Wien Energie’s hydrogen activities.

Finally, Elena Balbekova (Business Upper Austria) presented the NEFI Trend Radar, outlining current developments and emerging perspectives.

The evening ended with a buffet in a relaxed atmosphere, offering ample opportunity for informal exchange and the initiation of new collaborations.