Gasunie, Thyssengas sign Dutch-German hydrogen pipeline agreement

Dutch gas infrastructure operator Gasunie and German counterpart Thyssengas have signed an agreement to jointly develop cross-border hydrogen pipelines between the two countries, Gasunie said in a statement Dec. 17.

The partnership between Gasunie subsidiary Hynetwork, Thyssengas H2 GmbH, and Gasunie Deutschland will largely repurpose existing natural gas pipelines for hydrogen transport, thereby reducing costs and accelerating deployment timelines compared to building new hydrogen pipes.

The network will connect at key border points at Oude Statenzijl in Groningen and Vlieghuis in Drenthe, linking Dutch industrial regions and ports with industrial consumers in Germany and beyond.

"Cross-border hydrogen trade and transport is crucial for a well-functioning hydrogen market in north-western Europe," Gasunie Director of Hydrogen Transport Helmie Botter said in the statement. "The agreement we've made not only enables transport via our infrastructure between the Netherlands and Germany's Ruhr region, but also to and from Denmark."

The agreement sets out technical and organizational aspects, including schedule, location and capacity of the infrastructure.

"We're striving to create an integrated hydrogen market, and working together closely with our fellow TSOs to make cross-border transport as straightforward as possible," Botter said.

Low-carbon and renewable hydrogen demand could rise substantially in Germany as the country seeks to decarbonize heavy industry, including refining, steel production and chemicals. The country is set to be a significant hydrogen importer.

The Netherlands could become a major producer and import hub via ports such as Rotterdam.

Thyssengas said in August it had started construction of the first part of the cross-border hydrogen pipeline between Germany and the Netherlands that will be ready to start operations by 2027.

The company will convert an existing 53-km natural gas pipeline between Vlieghuis in the Netherlands to Ochtrup in Germany's Munsterland region for hydrogen use.

Germany approved plans in 2024 to gradually build a 9,040-km hydrogen core grid between 2025 and 2032 with a planned investment cost of Eur18.9 billion. Around 60% of the core hydrogen network is based on converting natural gas pipelines to hydrogen.

Germany's energy regulator BNetzA announced July 14 that the nationwide hydrogen network access fee has been set at Eur25/kWh/h/year ($29.25/kWh/h/year).

Meanwhile, the planned 1,200-km Dutch hydrogen pipeline network was delayed by three years, with permitting delays and personnel constraints hindering development.

However, the first section of the network is expected to start operations in Rotterdam from 2026.

Platts, part of S&P Global Energy, assessed the cost of EU-compliant green hydrogen production via alkaline electrolysis in the Netherlands, backed by renewable power purchase agreements, at Eur7.95/kg ($9.32/kg) Dec. 16, compared with Eur8.16/kg in Germany.