The second hydrogen transport network project in France has just begun, according to GRTgaz. To satisfy their hydrogen fuel demands, the RHYn (Rhine HYdrogen Network) will connect the Dessenheim region to the Mulhouse conurbation and Ottmarsheim, Alsace.
GRTgaz will convert 60 kilometers of existing natural gas pipes and construct 40 kilometers of new ones for this large-scale project, which is expected to be finished in 2028. This new 100-kilometer hydrogen corridor will be capable of transporting 125,000 tonnes of hydrogen per year, saving 1 million tonnes of CO2.
The RHYn project’s first phase will connect Dessenheim, the Chalampé-Ottmarsheim industrial zone, and the Mulhouse agglomeration, promoting the Upper Rhine’s hydrogen ecosystem. Other phases will follow, with the network being extended to the south to Basel and north to Marckolsheim.
In a news release, GRTgaz states, “The RHYn project helps to the implementation of energy transition strategies in the Grand Est area, as well as the improvement of its economic and industrial attractiveness.” “It opens up new possibilities for local industry’s decarbonization and sets the path for the effective deployment of all modes of transportation, as envisioned by the Grand Est Hydrogen Strategy.”
RHYn is a component of the European hydrogen backbone project, which aims to ensure supply security and establish a unified European hydrogen market. In France, GRTgaz is attempting to construct 1,000 kilometers of hydrogen by 2030, mostly through the mosaHYc project, which connects the Moselle, Saar, and Luxembourg rivers.