The European energy crisis and the REPowerEU Plan’s lofty ambitions make renewable gas rollout even more important.
In 2022, Europe’s record-breaking summer temperatures underscored the necessity to transition away from fossil fuels. Hydrogen is growing fast, so a good regulatory framework is needed. Hydrogen might speed up and strengthen Europe’s energy transition.
Policymakers are crucial in this situation. The European Commission’s Hydrogen Accelerator aims to import and create 10 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen by 2030 as part of the REPowerEU Plan. IPCEI Hy2Use received €5.2 billion in EU public funding in September 2022.
In its conclusions at the 36th European Gas Regulatory Forum in May 2022, the Commission and other energy industry stakeholders agreed to “…a joint action to be undertaken by gas infrastructure industry (ENTSOG, EHB, GIE, CEDEC, Eurogas, GEODE, GD4S) to visualize all hydrogen infrastructure projects collected under different existing processes in a form of a map”. Thus, energy market stakeholders value transparency, including hydrogen project data across the value chain.
Following this directive, energy industry stakeholders created an interactive map to visualize hydrogen infrastructure projects and future needs. Gas transmission, distribution, storage, and LNG system operators (TSOs, DSOs, SSOs, and LSOs) and third-party promoters working with production and off-takers are involved. Transmission, distribution, storage, terminals, ports, and demand and production initiatives make up hydrogen infrastructure. For a thorough picture of the hydrogen economy, the map will be updated periodically.
The effort began with a bottom-up collection of data for all important infrastructure projects for producing, storing, importing, and transporting hydrogen, showing the predicted status in 2030, 2040, and 2050. For commissioned or upcoming projects, this is simple. TSOs have experience planning and building infrastructure, including gas Ten-Year Network Development Plan (TYNDP) projects, and can include future hydrogen projects. DSOs may connect residential, commercial, and industrial gas end-users, making them ideal planners. DSOs understand their grids and local renewable and low-carbon gas production potential. Hydrogen storage connects variable energy supply alternatives (dedicated RES and grid withdrawals) to hydrogen demand dynamics, making it a crucial enabling technology for a hydrogen ecosystem. Terminals will boost hydrogen and derivative imports.
These stakeholders collaborated with Guidehouse to publish the Hydrogen Infrastructure map on a dedicated website. The map shows over 220 hydrogen projects, 120 TSO and DSO, 40 storage, and 10 terminals and ports. New and retrofitted infrastructure projects are included.
Repurposed infrastructure connects hydrogen supply-and-demand clusters to form a pan-EU “Hydrogen Backbone,” as seen on the map. It emphasizes the importance of hydrogen storage and terminals and ports for hydrogen and derivative imports. Hydrogen’s connection to the distribution system creates immediate local sector synergy. The number of initiatives also shows that infrastructure is not a barrier to hydrogen economy development. The integrated network of initiatives built by stakeholder consortia illustrates that this hydrogen economy can only develop through value-chain collaboration.
Despite our energy issues, Europeans have the tools and drive to innovate and improve. The Hydrogen Infrastructure map illustrates TSOs, DSOs, SSOs, and LSOs working together to meet REPowerEU climate and energy security goals. It shows short- and long-term progress that will persist for years and decades.
Additional note: At the ENTSOG conference on December 14, 2022, industry players involved in designing the interactive map will give an online overview of its purpose and operation at 16:00. January 2023 will feature a webinar. Stakeholder feedback will be used for map iterations. The map is “active” and updated when project information becomes available.
