German gas TSOs plan dedicated hydrogen hub for 2026 launch

Two German natural gas transmissions system operators, Gascade and Ontras, are planning to launch a hydrogen hub in the east of the country in 2026, according to a statement published by Gascade on June 1.

The initial network will comprise 475 km of pipeline connecting production and consumption points in Western Pomerania, Brandenburg, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Berlin, with two-thirds of the system consisting of existing gas infrastructure converted for hydrogen transit. The remaining third of the project's total pipeline length will be formed of new hydrogen conduit.

"Gascade and Ontras plan to set up a strong platform for the hydrogen industry in Eastern Germany," the statement said. "Doing hydrogen will support the German hydrogen industry and is, to date, the biggest planned hydrogen project in Eastern Germany."

Gascade said that the project's relevance was recognized by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs, and that it is on the shortlist for funding for Important Projects of Common European Interest.

"Together, we can initiate the rapid establishment of a hydrogen industry in Eastern Germany," Gascade's managing director Christoph von dem Bussche said. "With an initial grid of 475 kilometers, we can swiftly build up large H2 capacities and also expand internationally."

"Different projects and regions provide us with an intensive exchange to be able to exploit synergy potential and pursue links to other infrastructure projects," Ralph Bahke, managing director at Ontras, said. "That means we can effectively interconnect emerging hydrogen production and consumption centers and hence ensure supply security."

The news comes just days after German gas-network trade body FNB announced in its Network Development Plan on May 26 that gas and hydrogen network development would be kept entirely separate, following a request from the country's energy regulator BNetzA in March.

This separation has its basis in interim regulation approved by the German government in February, where the regulatory framework for the two commodities is set to be kept apart, lest this would stunt the development of either, or that the cost of hydrogen development would be imparted onto domestic bills.

Gascade is a joint venture between Russian state-owned gas company Gazprom and Germany's BASF.