On 10 June 2026, the third Partners Meeting of the H2READY project took place in Ajdovščina. Hosted by the Municipality of Ajdovščina at the premises of the Chamber of Craft and Small Business, the meeting brought together all project partners to review the progress achieved so far and define the next steps towards building an increasingly concrete and coordinated cross-border hydrogen ecosystem.
A central part of the meeting was dedicated to the activities of Work Package 2, which aims to prepare local administrations for the hydrogen transition through training, planning and the development of shared operational tools. Particular attention was devoted to the preparation of Local Action Plans, one of the project’s key expected outputs. The discussion provided an opportunity to share methodologies, collected data and initial strategic directions, with the objective of developing documents and operational tools capable of translating the territorial analyses carried out in recent months into concrete implementation pathways. The Action Plans will enable pilot municipalities to identify realistic hydrogen applications aligned with the economic, energy and infrastructure characteristics of their respective territories.
The discussions confirmed that the different contexts involved in the project offer complementary opportunities to test the role of hydrogen in the energy transition. From industrial and logistics areas to urban centres and territories with a strong focus on sustainable mobility, there is a clear need to develop flexible approaches capable of leveraging local specificities within a shared cross-border strategic vision.
The meeting also marked an important step with the formal launch of Work Package 3, dedicated to the development of the Cross-Border Strategic Plan for Hydrogen Infrastructure. This new phase of the project will make it possible to integrate the results of territorial analyses, training activities and future Action Plans into a common vision for the development of the hydrogen ecosystem in the Italy–Slovenia programme area.
Through the joint efforts of the partners, the Strategic Plan will contribute to defining shared guidelines for infrastructure planning, coordination of local policies and the promotion of investments consistent with the objectives of the energy transition. In this way, H2READY strengthens its role as a cooperation platform bringing together public administrations, experts and territorial stakeholders, fostering the development of cross-border hydrogen governance.
The Partners Meeting in Ajdovščina confirmed the partnership’s strong commitment to transforming the knowledge acquired and the analyses developed over recent months into concrete tools supporting public decision-making. With the launch of the strategic planning phase and the progressive development of Local Action Plans, the project is now entering a crucial stage of its implementation, aimed at providing municipalities with practical solutions and shared models to support the development of a sustainable hydrogen-based energy future.
