European engineering consultancy AFRY and RINA, the engineering, inspection, certification and consulting company, have conducted a joint study into the feasibility of constructing a pipeline to transport hydrogen from the Arabian/Persian Gulf area to Europe.

Hydrogen produced in the region could either be blue, utilising the abundant natural gas and carbon capture and storage options, or green, taking advantage of excellent renewable power generation potential in the area, both options providing very low carbon hydrogen for industrial and domestic use within Europe.

The study found that a pipeline carrying 100 TWh (or around 2.5 million tonnes) per year of hydrogen would mean transportation costs of around €1.2/kg H₂, and levelised costs of delivered hydrogen of about €2.7/kg H₂ (beginning in the early 2030s), falling to €2.3/kg H₂ (the press release stating “green and blue hydrogen”, rather than distinguishing between them).

AFRY said that while discussion of hydrogen importation from the Gulf region has generally assumed transport by ship, a “competitive and actionable pipeline project from the Gulf region in the near future could provide a viable and powerful complement”.