The expansion of Denmark’s hydrogen economy is now possible because to political consensus on the transmission and distribution of hydrogen.
The Danish gas transmission system operator Energinet is designated in the agreement as being in charge of the system and providing the “backbone” with connections to storage, offshore, and across borders, while the distribution operator Evida will connect domestic producers and consumers and the connections with the interconnected system.
The two operators now expect to go forward with planning work for a pipe-bound infrastructure and discussions with the appropriate authorities after reaching an agreement.
The two operators have been creating a number of projects as part of the preparation work for the division of duties and responsibilities.
One of these is the Ready4H2 project, a significant European endeavor to look at how distribution networks may boost the overall value chain for future transport of hydrogen. Evida has also started feasibility studies on distribution in two areas in Jutland.
To study how a hydrogen grid may be built in Jutland and connected to the European backbone, as well as whether one of the Danish-German border gas interconnections can be converted to a hydrogen connection, Energinet has teamed with the German gas TSO Gasunie.
Additionally, the Energinet company Gas Storage Denmark is looking into the possibility of converting its gas caverns for underground hydrogen storage.
Both Evida and Energinet claim that their market research verifies the need for a national hydrogen infrastructure, with many projects requiring access to piped hydrogen in order to be realized.