Hydrogen pipelines and hydrogen networks

Industrial consumers that largely obtain their energy requirements from natural gas, such as the steel and chemical industries, have the opportunity to phase out fossil fuels by connecting to a hydrogen network. In the Ruhr region and in the central German chemical triangle, large hydrogen pipelines have already existed for decades and are used by industry. The corresponding expertise is therefore available. The hydrogen pipeline in the Ruhr region is the longest dedicated hydrogen pipeline in Germany. This 240 km long hydrogen pipeline stretches from the Marl Chemical Park to Castrop-Rauxel and Leverkusen.

In the central German chemical triangle (around Bitterfeld, Schkopau and Leuna), 3.6 billion cubic metres of hydrogen are required every year. Here, various hydrogen pipelines have a combined length of 150 kilometres. Germany also has a 30 km long hydrogen pipeline in Schleswig-Holstein from Heide to Brunsbüttel. The hydrogen pipelines in the Ruhr region and in the central German chemical triangle are now part of plans to create model regions for a green hydrogen economy - from production, storage and transport through to utilisation in various sectors.

The specific aim of "GET H2 Nukleus" is to establish the first hydrogen network in Germany that is openly accessible. This means that all companies that produce or feed in hydrogen, as well as all customers, have the right to access the hydrogen network without discrimination and at the same prices. This is already the case with the natural gas network. The planned hydrogen network is to extend from Lingen to Gelsenkirchen and be 130 kilometres long. At 118 km, by far the largest part of the hydrogen network consists of transformed gas pipelines. The remaining 12 km is a partial new construction to connect the Marl Chemical Park with a refinery in Gelsenkirchen-Scholven.

Germany's gas grids already transport biomethane (CH4) and hydrogen as an admixture in varying proportions from region to region. In view of the goal of achieving greenhouse gas neutrality by 2050, the entire German gas grid is being included in a transformation process in which fossil natural gas is almost completely replaced. In line with the National Hydrogen Strategy a new gas infrastructure for green hydrogen as well as for synthetic methane and biogas. In addition to their function as a transport system, gas pipelines also offer the advantage of being able to serve as flexible storage facilities. In contrast to electricity grids, where the amount of energy fed in and out is always constant, gas grids can buffer large amounts of energy. Thanks to the range of pressures at which hydrogen pipelines can be operated, excess capacity can be fed into the grid and withdrawn again as required.

In the position paper "European Hydrogen Backbone" (2020), a management consultancy and eleven operators of natural gas networks outline the vision of a Europe-wide hydrogen network. Here, too, the year 2030 is to be the decisive milestone: By then, ten European countries will be connected by a hydrogen network - Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland. In addition to rededicated pipelines for natural gas, new hydrogen pipelines would also be added so that the existing pipelines can be connected.

The experts in the position paper are aiming for a hydrogen network of 6,800 kilometres in length by 2030. Around 75% of this network should consist of the transformed natural gas networks, while the remaining hydrogen pipelines would still have to be built. A second paper (2021) on the planned hydrogen network across Europe covers a total of 21 European countries. While the first position paper assumes a European hydrogen network of 23,000 km in length in 2040, the second version already has 39,700 km. This is due both to the additional countries and to an accelerated expansion of the infrastructure in the countries already considered in the first paper. In total, 69% of the European hydrogen network would consist of repurposed natural gas pipelines and 31% of new hydrogen pipelines.