The Strategist

EU sets to build hydrogen transport networks worth €64B



07/20/2020 - 09:12



A group of 11 gas transmission operators from nine EU countries presented a plan for the development of a pan-European gas transport infrastructure, most of which is planned to be built on the basis of existing gas pipelines.



Bexim
Bexim
The companies expect that from the mid-2020s, a network will gradually begin to emerge, which will take shape by 2030 into an initial system of 6,800 km of gas pipelines connecting H2 consumption clusters, so called "hydrogen valleys".

By 2040, European gas workers expect the network to grow to 23 thousand km, of which 75% will be provided by the conversion of methane pipes and 25% will be built from scratch.

Ultimately, the existing gas transmission network should turn into two parallel networks: for hydrogen and for methane (including biomethane).

The operators estimate the creation of a sounded hydrogen network at €27-64 billion.

In July, the European Union adopted a strategy for the introduction of renewable hydrogen. It involves the addition of an integrated energy system with a massive industrial production of renewable hydrogen. It can serve as a source of energy where the use of electricity is difficult. In the future, it will be produced mainly using wind and solar energy.

In the 2020-2024 phase, the EU envisages installation of at least 6 GW of hydrogen electrolyzers and the production of up to 1 million tons of renewable hydrogen. In the period from 2025 to 2030, hydrogen should become a part of an integrated energy system, in which the capacity for electrolysis of renewable hydrogen will be at least 40 GW.

source: ec.europa.eu