Nordic-Baltic TSOs conclude pre-feasibility study for hydrogen corridor

The gas transmission system operators (TSOs) of Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Germany have finalised the pre-feasibility study that defines the key conditions for implementing the Nordic-Baltic Hydrogen Corridor (NBHC), they announced on Monday.

The next step for the TSOs is to initiate work on a feasibility study covering the project‘s detailed technical analysis, commercial and economic assessment as well as the detailed implementation timeline of the corridor, a press statement says.

Do you know we have a daily hydrogen newsletter? Subscribe here for free!

Launched in January 2024, the pre-feasibility study establishes a comprehensive framework covering the required technical, legal, organisational, and economic aspects for the realisation of the hydrogen corridor, the purpose of which will be to transport renewable hydrogen between these six countries.

The study puts the renewable hydrogen production of the Nordic and Baltic region at about 27.1 million tonnes by 2040 and indicates that the region could transport up to 2.7 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen annually between the countries by that same year, based on combined onshore and offshore wind and solar.

Presently, the plan is to create a 2,500-km-long pipeline with a diameter of 48 inches (1,200 mm) and several compressor stations. The European Commission granted the status of a project of common interest (PCI) to the NBHC in April 2024.

The six participating TSOs are Gasgrid Finland, Estonia’s Elering, Conexus Baltic Grid of Latvia, Amber Grid of Lithuania, Poland’s GAZ-SYSTEM, and Germany-based ONTRAS.