Project: Hydrogen Network Central Germany

Cluster: Infrastructure

BACKGROUND

Green hydrogen plays a crucial role in achieving climate targets and successfully implementing the energy transition. For a number of application areas that cannot be electrified or only under unfavorable circumstances, hydrogen (and its derivatives ammonia, methane and methanol) is the key energy carrier for defossilization. Green hydrogen and hydrogen with a very low CO2 footprint will soon be an essential basis for sustainable economic areas - also with regard to structural development in the Central German region. The high interest of companies and the potential demand for hydrogen in the region of Central Germany are competitive advantages, as they can accelerate the market ramp-up of hydrogen. To leverage this potential, it is planned to successively transform and further expand the existing natural gas infrastructure into a hydrogen network for Central Germany. The goal is to develop a holistic infrastructure concept in Central Germany for the best possible linking of the producer and consumer sides. To concretize this planning, a feasibility study examined the following focal points in terms of content:

Potential hydrogen requirements of the future users
Potential hydrogen sources of the future producers
Potential routing and grid sizing of both new pipelines and existing infrastructur
Economic viability of network expansion and operation as well as the production costs of hydrogen in the time indications 2030, 2040 and 2050

Finally, recommendations for action are formulated, which support a reasonable and economic development of a hydrogen network in Central Germany and classify possible generation and application cases in the funding context.

Hydrogen Network Central Germany; source: HYPOS

IMPLEMENTATION

During the feasibility study, an intensive, constructive multi- and bilateral exchange took place with the project group, the participating grid operators - at distribution and transmission level - and industrial companies. As a result of this project, these exchanges led to a much more comprehensive and interconnected hydrogen network, which provides additional supply security. The individual parts of the planned hydrogen network can be planned, built as well as converted in parallel - also in parallel to import pipeline/support projects. In the process, regional hydrogen clusters and individual storage options can be created, which over time will be combined into an overall network, thus expanding supply security.

The feasibility study shows that a majority of the stakeholders involved demand and require Green Hydrogen produced from renewable energy sources. For the stakeholders, green hydrogen is the key to driving forward the defossilization of production, processes and other application areas. What is needed is a powerful infrastructure that builds on existing structures. This project outlines an energy system vision for the Central German region and develops a concept for the required infrastructure, taking into account generation potential, demand, import volumes, and existing gas infrastructure.

The realization of a hydrogen network is the starting point for a comprehensive defossilization of the public gas supply in the region and for the transformation of energy and material applications. The developed hydrogen network is the basis for a future joint further development of the hydrogen infrastructure in Central Germany. Coordinated infrastructure planning is essential, as hydrogen networks are developed in a very dynamic market environment. The next step is to develop a holistic approach for the supply of industry, commerce/trade/services and households as well as a role model for the network users.

CONTINUE

Due to the overwhelming interest, HYPOS is working together with the Metropolitan Region of Central Germany, the DBI Group and Infracon GmbH & Co. KG already on the Hydrogen Network Study 2.0 with regional expansion in Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia.