North-south hydrogen corridor to be built in Germany by 2028

Gasunie and Thyssengas are planning to build a network for the transportation of hydrogen that will connect Germany's North Sea coast with the centres of demand in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia in the south by 2028.

The two gas transmission system operators (TSO) will repurpose existing gas infrastructure and build new pipelines for the 400-km (248.5 mi) long route between the coastal region of Wilhelmshaven, where hydrogen will be produced and imported from Norway, and Wesseling near Cologne in North Rhine-Westphalia where the chemicals industry is concentrated.

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A key advantage of the plan is that it will connect existing hydrogen clusters and projects such as the Hyperlink network planned by Gasunie in the north and the GETH2 hydrogen initiative in the south for which Thyssengas is responsible.

The planned route will enable hydrogen supply to medium-sized companies and large off-takers such as chemical parks and steel producers in the region of Muenster, the Ruhr area and Rhineland, making a significant contribution to the development of an integrated hydrogen network in Germany.

The project consists of two sections -- the northern part will connect the Wilhelmshaven hydrogen hub and the planned hydrogen export pipeline from Norway to Germany with the hydrogen transport network and the hydrogen caverns of the Etzel storage facility.

The southern section involves the route between the Barssel ​​hyperlink and Cologne/Wesseling. Its goal is to connect the consumption centres and establish connections to the GETH2 cluster, future hydrogen storage facilities and the border crossing point for hydrogen in Vlieghuis, the Netherlands.

Applications for a PCI (Project of Common Interest) status have been submitted for both sections of the project.