Energy and industry companies team up to launch Germany's first hydrogen network

Germany's largest energy company RWE, together with oil company BP, chemicals producer Evonik and gas grid operators have announced the construction of the country's first publicly accessible hydrogen distribution network. The project aims to connect producers of so-called green gas - hydrogen produced with renewable power sources -, with industrial clients from 2022 on, "provided this is economically viable." The hydrogen network dubbed GET H2 with a length of 130 kilometres will be built in the country's northwest to supply industry customers in the states of Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia and is said to be open for third parties at "transparent prices." An electrolysis plant with a capacity of 100 megawatts in the town of Lingen will provide the hydrogen through a grid that is going to be "converted to 100 percent hydrogen," the companies said. Additionally, existing cavern storages along the hydrogen pipelines shall ensure higher supply security. The project is supposed to "pave the way to technological leadership" for Germany in hydrogen production and facilitate the transition to climate-neutral industrial production in the country, they added.

Green hydrogen is seen as a solution to some of the energy transition's most difficult challenges, as it provides a viable solution for emissions-free energy supply in transport or industry applications. The German government is working on a highly anticipated hydrogen strategy. It has reportedly scrapped provisions for also using hydrogen as a fuel for heating, as too much energy is lost in the transformation process and more efficient alternatives exist.