Under a new five-year deal, the UK-based engineering firm will provide EPC services for around 41km of new pipeline and the conversion of around 89km of existing natural gas pipeline.

The agreement covers the first stage of the Danish Hydrogen Backbone, intended for commission by the end of 2030, and gives Worley responsibility for technical design, tendering, and construction management.

This initial project will run east from Esbjerg on Denmark’s west coast, to Veerst and then to Frøslev on the German border. It will include associated infrastructure like above-ground stations, necessary to support future export to Germany.

In October 2024 Energinet pushed back plans for the pipeline, a recognised European Project of Common Interest (PCI), citing projects with “significantly different degrees of maturity”.

Lone Edelbo, CEO of Energinet, stressed the importance of renewable energy for the green transition and the value of international collaboration.

“We need to combine our own expertise at Energinet with relevant technical experience and knowledge specifically within hydrogen, so that we can ensure the necessary quality and progress in the work on establishing the Danish Hydrogen Backbone 1”, he said.

The company says the backbone’s establishment depends on securing 500MW of transport capacity, for which a sale was launched in January and remains open until December.

Worley was recently commissioned to provide EPC services for the AquaDuctus North Sea pipeline, and secured a four-year framework deal for Finland’s hydrogen pipeline in February 2025.

Major pipeline projects are ramping up across Europe, often recognised as EU PCIs, as various sectors seek to deploy hydrogen for decarbonisation.