The first hydrogen pipelines of the German core grid will go into operation as early as next year, announced Germany’s economy minister Robert Habeck during a press conference on 21 October. “The core grid is the starting point for a new infrastructure and a central component of the energy transition” he said.
Online news agency Clean Energy Wire reports that the first hydrogen flow is set for 2025, following approval of the country’s hydrogen grid by the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA)).
The core grid is set to be completed by 2032 and will cost nearly €19 billion. It will be made up of 9040 km of pipeline to be completed over the next few years. That is about 600 km less than in the initial approval application – a reduction Habeck said will keep grid fees down.
All federal states will be connected to the network, which will link the focal points of hydrogen production, consumption, storage and import. Mr Habeck likened the hydrogen grid to the autobahn, saying that the arterial system had to be built first, with smaller feeder roads connecting companies and power plants coming later.
The grid – a key part of the country’s plans to reach net-zero by 2045 – isn’t yet completed, but it will now be built, said Mr Habek, adding that the two and a half years it took to get the project from idea to approval was a “record” for the ministry – is despite criticisms that the process has been too slow.
Around 60 % of the grid will consist of converted gas pipelines, but only those no longer needed for transportation of the fossil fuel gas will be converted. The rest will newly built while an extra €2 bn will be invested in additional gas pipelines.
Imports will cover most of Germany’s hydrogen needs but a recent report by environmental think tank Wuppertal Institute said that many states will focus on ramping up production for domestic demand first. The report suggested Germany needed ‘more in-house production’ of hydrogen, while at the same time bolstering global alliances.
