Hydrogen producers, industrial users, and traders will soon be able to secure slots in the future hydrogen pipeline network, which is currently being constructed.
The move is expected to give developers and industrial offtakers greater planning certainty ahead of the network’s phased rollout.
Companies will be able to make binding bookings for entry and exit points on the grid, which will later convert into firm capacity contracts once the network is operational.
“Through the reservation concept, the network operators are providing a significant boost for the development of cross-border hydrogen transport,” a joint statement from the TSOs said.
“With the release of the key principles for the reservation process, the German hydrogen core network operators are aligning with their European counterparts, who are also initiating similar network user processes.
“The regulatory framework, including the Federal Network Agency‘s (BNetzA) determination procedures (WaKandA, WasABi), is set to be published and will be integrated into the ongoing development of standard contracts.”
Coordinated by FNB Gas, Germany’s natural gas TSOs, including Open Grid Europe, Gascade, and Thyssengas, are converting parts of the existing gas grid and building new hydrogen pipelines as part of a 9,700km network.
Last March, Nowega announced it was commissioning a 55km section of the network. Up to 95% of the pipeline will be built on repurposed infrastructure.
Earlier this year, BNetzA set a €25/kWh/h annual access fee for use of the 9,700km hydrogen core network, a fixed nationwide rate designed to recover construction and operating costs while keeping prices low enough to encourage early uptake.
Germany’s 9,000km hydrogen gamble: Will the Wasserstoff-Kernnetz pay off?
“We are creating security for everyone involved – from hydrogen producers at home and abroad to the operators of power plants and storage facilities and future industrial users.”
That was the message from German Vice-Chancellor and Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, Robert Habeck, when his government’s plans for a 9,040km ‘Wasserstoff-Kernnetz’ or hydrogen core network (HCN) were approved by the Federal Network Agency (BNetZA).
The HCN will cover the width of the country, resulting in a feed-in capacity of 101GW of hydrogen and a feed-out capacity of 87GW. Expected to complement the nation’s ambitious hydrogen production and import strategy, the network will connect import terminals to industrial hubs located throughout the country.
It’s a mammoth ambition.
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