Speakers

Roelien Kamminga is as mayor of Groningen responsible for Public Order and Safety, Regional Cooperation, External and International Relations and City Partnerships. Roelien has a degree in International Relations at the University of Groningen. She has broad work experience at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK). She held various positions, on intelligence and security matters and public order, intelligence, and security. Groningen has a strong energy legacy - from peat and natural gas to today’s focus on sustainable energy. Groningen aims a diverse, affordable, and independent energy system, in with a key role for energy-efficiency, wind, solar, and hydrogen. Thanks to its strategic location in the North of Europe and next to Bremen and Hamburg, with ports, gas network, and expertise, Groningen is a driving force in the energy transition. The HEAVENN project established the Northern Netherlands as Europe’s first European Hydrogen Valley, covering the full hydrogen chain. Groningen fosters innovation and new energy businesses in a broad ecosystem with many stakeholders, where collaboration is key. Together they are developing Hydrogen Valley Campus Europe with partners in academia, applied and vocational education. As a member of the WECP, the World Energy Cities Platform, Groningen is committed to developing and strengthening cooperation between cities and regions in countries around the North Sea. Major challenges remain—infrastructure, hydrogen production, storage, regulation, and financing—but Groningen is well-positioned to lead, building on its energy history, infrastructure, and innovation ecosystem.