The first hydrogen pipelines of the German core grid will go into operation is set for 2025, following approval of the country’s hydrogen grid by the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA). “The first hydrogen pipelines of the core grid will go into operation as early as next year,” economy minister Robert Habeck said during a recent press conference. “The core grid is the starting point for a new infrastructure and a central component of the energy transition. This makes Germany a pioneer in Europe.”

The core grid is set to be completed by 2032 and will cost nearly €19 billion. It will be made up of 9,040 kilometres of pipeline that will be finalised over the next few years. That is about 600 kilometres less than in the initial approval application, a reduction which is intended will keep grid fees down. 

All federal states will be connected to the network, which will link the focal points of hydrogen production, consumption, storage and import. Habeck likened the hydrogen grid to the autobahn (Germany’s motorway), saying that the big arteries had to be built first, with smaller feeder roads connecting companies and power plants coming later.  

The grid, a key part of the country’s plans to reach net-zero by 2045,  isn’t yet completed, but it will now be built, said Mr Habek, adding that the two and a half years it took to get the project from idea to approval was a record for the ministry.

Around 60 % of the grid will consist of converted gas pipelines, but only those no longer needed for transportation of fossil fuel gas will be converted. The rest will be newly built, while an extra €2 bn will be invested in additional gas pipelines to ensure security of supply.

Imports will cover most of Germany’s hydrogen needs but a recent report by environmental think tank Wuppertal Institute said that many states will focus on ramping up production for domestic demand first. The report suggested Germany needed ‘more in-house production’ of hydrogen, while at the same time bolstering global alliances.