Special times require special measures

• TSOs provide initial responses to the new gas industry framework conditions
• First connections for LNG plants possible by 2022/2023
• The hydrogen variant shows strong growth in transport demand

On the publication of the interim status of the Gas Network Development Plan 2022 – 2032: In the past weeks and months, the transmission system operators (TSOs) have been working at full speed to provide initial answers to the new gas industry conditions resulting from the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine, as part of the current Gas Network Development Plan. “ Not only in terms of security policy, but also in terms of energy policy, we must speak of a turning point in time, says CEO Dr. Thomas Gößmann. “As a result, the TSOs were not able to present the current NDP in form and content as usual. The changing situation requires, to a much greater extent, diversifying our energy sources and accelerating the shift from natural gas to green and carbon-neutral gases like hydrogen.”

With the three new LNG security of supply variants, the TSOs show how the connection of LNG plants and the transmission of LNG volumes for a partial replacement of Russian natural gas volumes can be taken into account on the network side. Changes in load flows have also played an important role in the network calculations. The BNetzA has asked the TSOs to calculate further LNG variants, especially with a view to fully replacing Russian natural gas volumes. The TSOs intend to publish these in the second part, the consultation document for the NDP Gas 2022-2032. “To meet the political timetable, TSOs are ready to implement LNG measures on an accelerated basis. To this end, the legal requirements must be created in the short term and the measures confirmed in a timely manner.“ explains Inga Posch, FNB Gas Managing Director.

The new gas industry framework also makes the development of the hydrogen infrastructure more urgent than ever. The demand reports from the WEB market survey of spring 2021 (hydrogen demand and generation and green gases) have already increased the Germany-wide hydrogen network in 2032 to up to 8,500 km pipeline length in the hydrogen variant. “We expect the demand for hydrogen transport to continue to rise sharply in the future in order to achieve the ambitious climate targets and to reduce our dependence on Russian natural gas as quickly as possible,” Posch explains. In order to make the process of developing the hydrogen network even more transparent and open, the hydrogen variant was modeled for the first time jointly by the TSOs and other potential hydrogen network operators. “With the new planning processes, the network operators have laid the foundation for future hydrogen network development planning. Now it is up to the politicians to anchor integrated gas and hydrogen network planning in law for the next NDP.” Posch reminds us in conclusion.