This September, the European Hydrogen Valleys Investment Forum was held in Riga for two days, bringing together industry experts and guests from Europe.
This September, the European Hydrogen Valleys Investment Forum was held in Riga for two days, bringing together industry experts and guests from Europe. This important forum was organised by the Latvian Investment and Development Agency (LIAA) in cooperation with the University of Latvia and the Latvian Hydrogen Association.
The European Hydrogen Valleys Investment Forum was held for the second year, and brought together more than 280 industry experts, entrepreneurs, scientists and investors from all over Europe in Riga. The two-day forum featured discussions on strengthening the organisation, attracting investment and creating international partnerships. According to the EU initiative Clean Hydrogen Partnership, more than a hundred hydrogen industry projects are operating worldwide, which demonstrates the industry’s ability to strengthen energy independence.
Innovation development and cooperation
One of the guiding principles of the forum is innovation development and cooperation with startups, which is why 32 startups were selected to participate in the forum, 8 of which represented Latvia. These companies presented their innovative solutions to more than 40 international investors and corporate partners, thus strengthening their positions in the European hydrogen ecosystem alongside leading countries.
The event is part of an industry initiative that purposefully develops regional green hydrogen clusters. The active participation of Latvian companies in this initiative demonstrates the potential to become an important centre in the development of the European hydrogen sector – from renewable energy production to technological solutions and exports.
Hydrogen industry development
LIAA Director Ieva Jāgere pointed out that the hydrogen industry is becoming one of the cornerstones of European energy and that this forum is an opportunity for Latvia to show its strengths, attract new investments and build partnerships that will strengthen our competitiveness in the future. She emphasised that ideas on paper are being transformed into real initiatives, citing as one of the most striking examples the sustainable aviation fuel plant planned by the company NorSAFin Liepāja, which proves that Latvia can be a regional leader in the field of green technologies. In turn, the company Naco Technologies has created an innovation centre with the world’s greenest nano-coatings for the hydrogen industry. These projects demonstrate Latvia’s ability to compete on a global scale.
Recognition for outstanding startups
At the end of the forum, eight companies were honoured whose solutions stood out for their innovations, technological excellence and contribution to the future of green energy. Among the 2025 awardees are the aforementioned Latvian company Naco Technologies, whose pilot plant already produces 500,000 components per year, the UK company FLEXERGY Ltd with modular gas processing systems for H₂ and CO₂ projects, H2Pro from Israel with a new electrolysis technology that makes green hydrogen more accessible, and two Norwegian companies – Nordic Electrofuel, which is developing synthetic aviation fuel (e-SAF) for the decarbonisation of air transport, and NORHyWAY, which is creating a Hydrogen Valley with a capacity of up to 17,350 tonnes of H₂ per year. Also distinguished were the Polish company HySpark with hydrogen solutions for airports and public transport, the Estonian company PowerUP Energy Technologies with fuel cell energy solutions for the telecommunications and defence industries, as well as SKYCORP Technologies from Slovenia, which is developing long-lasting hydrogen drones and security infrastructure.
Goals and ambitions
The aim of the Hydrogen Forum is to strengthen Latvia’s position in the European hydrogen ecosystem, highlighting our renewable energy potential, strategic geographical location and technological capabilities. It is a step towards attracting investment, building international partnerships and accelerating the development of hydrogen infrastructure.
The Forum is funded by the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Mechanism, as well as the ERDF projects “Development of Innovative Entrepreneurship in SMEs” and “Support for the improvement of the technology transfer system”, the European Recovery Fund and the state budget.
