Construction of German hydrogen grid further delayed
Handelsblatt
Construction of a hydrogen "core" network in Germany has been further delayed as its future operators and the electricity grid agency BNetzA await an EU decision on state aid, reported Handelsblatt. The operators of Germany's gas grid must submit an application to BNetzA to start construction of the 9,700-kilometre pipeline set to transport hydrogen fuel across the country. But they cannot do so until the EU decision authorising financing for the network has been received. This means that BNetzA will extend the application deadline by four weeks until July 21, which is the second delay.
The hydrogen network should be completed by 2032 and is meant to aid the green energy transition. Many stakeholders are waiting for the official green light to start making investment decisions and building the network, wrote Handelsblatt.
The German government agreed to build the hydrogen core network in May 2023. Renewable hydrogen is considered key for the decarbonisation of sectors such as heavy industry and aviation, which cannot easily switch to direct use of electricity to lower emissions. But critics say the network plans in Germany are oversized and too expensive as a result.
