Transmission system operators Gasunie and Thyssengas have presented plans for a hydrogen pipeline between Wilhelmshaven and Wesseling near Cologne. The pipeline, which is expected to be operational by 2028, will transport hydrogen produced in Wilhelmshaven or imported from Norway to consumption centers on the Rhine and Ruhr. The project will connect existing hydrogen clusters and projects, contributing to the development of an integrated hydrogen network in Germany and the hydrogen market ramp-up in Europe. The pipeline will be divided into two sections, with Gasunie responsible for the northern section and Thyssengas responsible for the southern section.
- Pipeline connects hydrogen production and import in the Wilhelmshaven area with companies from industry and SMEs as far as the Cologne chemical region
- Rapid implementation of the approximately 400-kilometer-long transport link by 2028 through rededication of existing transport pipelines and additional new construction
- North-south corridor links existing hydrogen clusters "Hyperlink" and "GETH2" and opens up numerous connection options
Transmission system operators Gasunie and Thyssengas present concrete plans for a hydrogen pipeline between Wilhelmshaven and Wesseling near Cologne. From as early as 2028, hydrogen produced in the coastal region of Wilhelmshaven or imported from Norway, among other places, will be transported directly to the consumption centers on the Rhine and Ruhr via the north-south connection. The high-performance H2 corridor will be made possible by converting existing transport lines of the project partners and building new sections. Due to the outstanding importance of the infrastructure project, both Gasunie and Thyssengas have submitted PCI applications (projects of common interest) to the European Commission for the two sections.
The major benefit of the transport route is that it connects existing hydrogen clusters and projects. In the north, it connects to the Hyperlink hydrogen network planned by Gasunie, and in the south to the sub-projects of the GETH2 hydrogen initiative for which Thyssengas is responsible. In addition, in conjunction with other planned pipeline projects, it will be possible to supply the important centers of consumption from Münsterland via the Ruhr region to the Rhineland with hydrogen. The planned north-south corridor will thus make a significant contribution to the development of an integrated hydrogen network in Germany and to the hydrogen market ramp-up in Europe.
Hans Jonk, Managing Director Gasunie Energy Development: "With this project, we are creating the possibility of a readily available and cost-effective hydrogen transport route from the emerging Wilhelmshaven hydrogen hub deep into the Ruhr region. Together with our partner Thyssengas, we look forward to making this attractive offer to the market."
Dr. Thomas Gößmann, Chairman of the Thyssengas Management Board: "In the development of the future hydrogen network, there have been mainly regional plans so far. With the H2 transport pipeline from Wilhelmshaven to the chemical region of Cologne, we are solving several challenges at once: On the one hand, we are connecting regional hydrogen infrastructure projects between the North Sea coast and North Rhine-Westphalia; on the other, we are enabling a high-performance H2 corridor between the production and import points in the north and the companies on the Rhine and Ruhr. In this way, our project will create an essential prerequisite for meeting the hydrogen needs of SMEs and industry from 2028."
THE PROJECT IS DIVIDED INTO TWO SECTIONS:
Northern section: connection to hydrogen production and import on the North Sea coast.
The northern section consists of the Wilhelmshaven-Hyperlink-Connection section, for which Gasunie has submitted a PCI application. "This sub-project has high potential for the future hydrogen economy by connecting the Wilhelmshaven Energy Hub and the planned hydrogen export pipeline from Norway to Germany with our Hyperlink hydrogen transport network and the hydrogen caverns of the Etzel storage facility," explains Xenia Papst, the business development manager responsible for the project.
The connection with Hyperlink brings the following advantages for hydrogen feeders in Wilhelmshaven: On the one hand, there is the direct connection to the Dutch hydrogen network of Gasunie ("HyNetwork Services") and to the Danish hydrogen backbone of Energinet. The other is the direct connection to the hydrogen network in the Salzgitter area, enabling hydrogen transport as far as Berlin.
Southern section: Integrated network planning between Barßel (hyperlink) and the Rhine-Ruhr region
For the southern subsection of the project between Barßel (Hyperlink) and Cologne / Wesseling, the transmission system operator Thyssengas has submitted a PCI application to the EU and will drive the subproject forward in cooperation with Gasunie. Through consistent integration with other H2 pipeline projects, the consumption centers in North Rhine-Westphalia can be connected to the north-south corridor for hydrogen - from Münsterland via the Ruhr region to the chemical region of Cologne. Connecting links to the GETH2 hydrogen cluster, future hydrogen storage facilities and the border crossing point for hydrogen in Vlieghuis (Netherlands) are planned for this purpose.
"As Thyssengas, we have known gas supply in North Rhine-Westphalia for more than 100 years. We are now taking advantage of this with a view to the hydrogen ramp-up by systematically creating transport connections with our H2 start-up network where industry and SMEs are urgently waiting for a connection," explains Dr. Arne Dammer, Head of Strategy and Innovation at Thyssengas.
The integrated network planning of the different energy infrastructures of electricity, gas and hydrogen for NRW ensures that both medium-sized companies and large consumers such as chemical parks and steel producers have a realistic prospect of being supplied with hydrogen in the near future. Moreover, via the H2 network for Germany identified in the hydrogen variant of the Gas Network Development Plan 2022-2032 (published in the Hydrogen Report of the FNB Gas), it would be feasible to transmit the H2 volumes thus made available as far as southern Germany.
About Thyssengas:
Thyssengas GmbH is a German transmission system operator. The headquarters of the company, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2021, is Dortmund. Thyssengas operates a gas network of around 4,400 kilometers - mostly in North Rhine-Westphalia, but individual pipelines also in Lower Saxony. This supplies downstream distribution network operators as well as industrial plants and power stations. For a climate-neutral future, Thyssengas is relying on hydrogen as a gaseous energy carrier. The Dortmund network operator is involved in numerous initiatives to this end. At the same time, it is making targeted investments in converting its pipeline system to enable a rapid hydrogen ramp-up as part of the energy transition. The company currently employs around 400 people at seven locations in the network area, and the trend is rising.