Concrete proposals for a hydrogen line between Wilhelmshaven and Wesseling in the vicinity of Cologne have been proposed by Gasunie and Thyssengas.
Beginning in 2028, hydrogen supplies produced, among other locations, in Wilhelmshaven’s coastal region or imported from Norway will be sent directly to the Rhine and Ruhr’s consumption hubs via the north-south connection.
By redesignating existing transit lines owned by project partners and constructing new parts, the effective H2 corridor is made possible. Both Gasunie and Thyssengas have submitted PCI applications (Projects of Common Interest) to the European Commission for the two portions because of the infrastructure project’s exceptional relevance.
The transport route’s ability to link up current hydrogen projects and clusters is a huge advantage. It connects to Gasunie’s Hyperlink hydrogen network in the north and Thyssengas’s GETH2 sub-projects, which are also parts of the hydrogen initiative.
Also, the crucial consumption centers from the Münsterland through the Ruhr region to the Rhineland can be supplied with hydrogen in conjunction with other pipeline projects that are planned. So, the planned north-south route will significantly aid in the growth of Germany’s integrated hydrogen network as well as the European hydrogen market.
Northern section
The Wilhelmshaven-Hyperlink-Connection section makes up the northern portion, for which Gasunie has submitted a PCI application.
The connection with Hyperlink benefits Wilhelmshaven’s hydrogen feeders in the following ways: On the one hand, there is a direct link to the Danish hydrogen backbone of Energinet and to the Dutch hydrogen network of Gasunie (HyNetwork Services). On the other side, Berlin may access hydrogen thanks to a direct connection to the hydrogen network in the Salzgitter region.
Southern section
Thyssengas, the operator of the transmission system, has collaborated with Gasunie to advance the sub-project and has submitted a PCI application to the EU for the southern portion of the project between Barßel (hyperlink) and Cologne/Wesseling. The consumption centers in North Rhine-Westphalia can be linked to the north-south hydrogen corridor, which runs from the Münsterland via the Ruhr region to the Cologne chemical sector, through the consistent integration with other H2 line projects. Connections to the hydrogen cluster GETH2, upcoming hydrogen storage facilities, and the hydrogen border crossing in Vlieghuis (Netherlands) are all planned for this purpose.
Medium-sized businesses and major consumers, including chemical parks and steel makers, have a realistic chance of receiving hydrogen in the near future thanks to the integrated network design of the various energy infrastructures of electricity, gas, and hydrogen for NRW. It would also be possible to send the H2 quantities made available in this way to southern Germany using the H2 network for Germany established under the hydrogen variant of the Gas Network Development Plan 2022-2032.
