The North Adriatic Clean Hydrogen Investment Platform (NACHIP) consortium held its regular project meeting on Friday, 19 September 2025, in Novalja, on the Island of Pag, Croatia. The meeting brought together partners from Slovenia, Croatia, and Italy’s Friuli Venezia Giulia region to review project progress, exchange updates on SME support, and plan next steps for demonstrating hydrogen technologies across production, mobility, and urban applications.
Project “Innovative Green Hydrogen Production from Wave Energy in Žigljen Port (Novalja)”
The project in Žigljen Port on the island of Pag represents a pioneering step in green hydrogen production using marine wave energy. As the key technological partner, Leonitus leads this innovative initiative valued at €5.4 million, which is the first of its kind in Europe within the framework of the NACHIP.
The core innovation of the project is the integration of submerged absorbers and dissipators that convert the kinetic energy of waves into compressed air and green hydrogen with a capacity of 1 MW, featuring year-round energy storage with an emphasis on winter production. Simultaneously, the multifunctional breakwater protects the port from erosion while supporting marine ecosystems through shellfish farming and includes solar power plants and sea vaporizer.
The project is based on circular economy principles, using 100% recyclable materials without waste, with the produced energy and distilled water serving the needs of the port and the local community.
The project aims to reduce dependence on fossil fuels in coastal tourism and maritime transport, protect the coastline from climate change impacts, create new jobs in green technologies, and strengthen the economy of the island of Pag. It also positions Novalja as a replicable model for Mediterranean regions.
The first phase of implementation is currently underway as part of the I3 instrument, and the support for this innovative project confirms its significance for the future of sustainable energy in the region.
Learn more about the pilot here: https://www.nachip.eu/leonitus-launches-europes-first-wave-to-hydrogen-project-in-novalja/
NACHIP – Accelerating the Hydrogen Economy
The NACHIP consortium consists of twelve public and private organisations from Slovenia, Croatia, and Italy’s Friuli Venezia Giulia region. Its members are Institut Jožef Stefan (lead partner), META Group, META Circularity, FER Zagreb, Leonitus, Serichim, Faber, ECUBES, KSSENA, ETRA, DOK-ING, and the Municipality of Velenje.
The project’s mission is to accelerate the North Adriatic Hydrogen Ecosystem (NAHV) by validating and demonstrating hydrogen technologies across production, urban areas, and mobility, and by creating local hydrogen alliances to anchor future growth. NACHIP also supports up to eighteen SMEs with cascade funding of up to €60,000 each, combined with a two-tier acceleration programme to build capacity, attract investment, and prepare technologies for market uptake.
NACHIP is part of the North Adriatic Hydrogen Ecosystem whose initiative is the North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley, the first transnational hydrogen valley in the European Union bringing together Slovenia Croatia and the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region of Italy.
Funding and Strategic Framework
NACHIP is co-financed by the European Union through the Interregional Innovation Investments I3 Instrument. It is implemented by EISMEA – European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency under the European Regional Development Fund. The project has a total budget of 10.5 million euros including a 7.6 million euros EU grant which covers 70 % of the costs. Almost 80 % of the funding goes to maturing hydrogen technologies and supporting SMEs particularly in the less developed regions of Eastern Slovenia and Central and Mediterranean Croatia. The project runs for three years from September 2024 until August 2027.
