Pipeline network infrastructures for the development of the potential German hydrogen network within the NEP Gas 2022-2032.

Last year, the transmission system operators (TSOs) called on pipeline infrastructure operators to report existing and specifically planned pipeline systems for the transport of hydrogen for consideration in the hydrogen variant of the Gas Network Development Plan 2022-2032 and the Hydrogen Report pursuant to Section 28q EnWG.

With the call, the TSOs wanted to ensure that as many as possible of the transport requirements resulting from the WEB market query could be efficiently provided at an early stage. The feedback, together with the TSOs’ pipeline network components that can be converted to hydrogen, form the basis for modeling the potential hydrogen network.

As of March 18, 2022, the TSOs have received 218 relevant reports for modeling through 2032. The detailed results of the existing and concretely planned pipeline systems for the transport of hydrogen for consideration in the hydrogen variant of the Network Development Plan Gas 2022-2032, are available under Downloads.

Background:

In the consultation document of the scenario framework for the gas network development plan 2022-2032 of June 21, 2021, the TSOs stated that they intend – analogous to the network development plan 2020-2030 – to model a separate hydrogen variant in the gas network development plan 2022-2032. As part of the modeling, a potential hydrogen transport network for the time points 2027 and 2032 is determined based on concrete capacity reports. This will help identify existing gas grid pipelines that can be converted to transport hydrogen.

For this purpose, the hydrogen query Generation and Demand WEB was used to determine the specific capacity requirements for hydrogen in the market up to the year 2032. A total of 500 capacity demand reports have been received by TSOs. The hydrogen network modeling takes into account the projects for which a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been concluded with the TSOs by October 2021.

In the second step, the TSOs examine, firstly, which of the TSOs’ existing gas pipelines can be converted in order to determine an efficient hydrogen transport network. On the other hand, already existing hydrogen transport infrastructures as well as concretely planned conversions and network expansion projects for hydrogen of other infrastructure operators shall be considered in the modeling.