Germany to unveil plan for hydrogen network in summer

Germany will announce details about the development of a hydrogen network before the summer break, economy minister Robert Habeck said over the weekend in Kiel.

The government and gas transmission system operators are working on the design of a backbone for a hydrogen network, Habeck said as cited by German media.

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Now it must be clarified who will take over the costs of building the hydrogen network as network operators will have to build pipelines to transport a fuel that is not yet available and will come in large quantities in five or six years, Habeck noted. However, a good market model would enable the operators to do that and if not, they will have to be supported, according to the minister.

Last year, German energy agency DENA called for a fair distribution of risks between the state, grid operators and users of the hydrogen network in order to ensure investment security and drive the build-up of a national hydrogen infrastructure. According to DENA, plans for the development of the necessary infrastructure are put on hold because of the lack of sufficient investment security.

Debates are also running on whether Germany should set up a state-owned hydrogen network company that would compete with the existing gas network operators. Such considerations by the federal government are facing opposition from industry organisations Zukunft Gas and the German Hydrogen and Fuel-Cell Association (DWV) which say that the existing gas companies would be more efficient in developing the necessary infrastructure.