Electric grid operator TenneT Holding BV is joining forces with gas grid operators Gasunie Deutschland Transport Services Gmbh and Thyssengas GmbH to build a 100-MW power-to-gas pilot plant in Lower Saxony, Germany.

The project, dubbed Element One, would convert renewable energy into gas, which will be transported from North Sea to the Ruhr region through existing pipelines. The converted gas could also be made available to industrial consumers in the mobility sector through hydrogen filling stations and storage caverns, according to an Oct. 16 news release.

The potential sites for the project are around TenneT substations in Diele and Conneforde, which collect and distribute offshore wind energy from the North Sea. The project will be gradually connected to the grid starting in 2022 and would help stabilize the electricity grid, limit the curtailment of wind energy and reduce the future need for grid expansion.

"The ability to store large volumes of renewable electricity will reduce the load on the power grid. That, in turn, helps us limit the expensive curtailment of wind turbines and make the power supply more reliable," TenneT Managing Director Lex Hartman said in a statement. "Storing more green energy also entails a reduced need for further grid expansion after 2030."

The project would help the country in achieving its climate targets for 2030 and 2050. Germany aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030, and by 80% to 95% by 2050, compared to 1990. The country also is targeting to increase the share of renewable energy in its energy consumption to 30% by 2030 and to 60% by 2050.

TenneT is a transmission system operators in Europe, managing approximately 23,000 km of high-voltage and extra-high voltage lines in the Netherlands and Germany.

Hanover, Germany-based Gasunie Deutschland is a subsidiary of N.V. Nederlandse Gasunie and operates a 3,800-km gas transmission grid in Northern Germany. Dortmund, Germany-based Thyssengas GmbH is an independent gas grid operator that operates a 4,200-km gas transportation grid.