TH2ECO – Thuringian H2 Ecosystem

Our motivation:
Driving forward the hydrogen economy in Thuringia, Germany and Europe, making us less dependent on fossil and nuclear energy sources and making a significant contribution to climate protection!

The term _TH2ECO:
TH2ECO is made up of the first letters of the term “Thüringer H2 ECOsystem”. Like the term itself, the TH2ECO logo stands for the modernization of the energy supply in Thuringia.

• T stands for Thuringia, the initial region for our hydrogen project
• H2 is the chemical formula for molecular hydrogen. The focus here is on green hydrogen
• The abbreviation of ECOsystem– aneconomicand environmentally friendly (ecological) H2 ecosystem for the region

We have been driving forward the expansion of a sustainable hydrogen infrastructure since 2021. As soon as the necessary structure is firmly established, it will be possible to use green hydrogen produced from locally generated green electricity. The hydrogen will be transported via a 42-kilometer H2 pipeline. We are using an existing gas pipeline with a diameter of 600 mm for this purpose. In addition, a new 3 km long section of pipeline will be built to transport the hydrogen to the customers. At the same time, we are integrating an H2 pore storage system so that hydrogen is also available in the event of seasonal fluctuations.

The connection will be made to the combined heat and power plant in Erfurt, whose H2 burner has an output of 20 MWth for the generation of district heating. We are also connecting part of the Erfurt gas network – both measures will reduce_{CO2 emissions} by 16,800 tons per year.

2024 TH2ECO grows: The existing H2 ecosystem is to be extended in the south to Saalfeld-Rudolstadt and in the east to Kölleda through further pipeline conversions (approx. 60 km) and new pipeline construction (approx. 40 km). This goes hand in hand with the integration of further H2 consumers.
In addition, the use of H2 in the Erfurt city grid and in the combined heat and power plant is to be increased in the medium term. In addition, the planned connection to the German hydrogen core network will create a supra-regional network by 2028.