The entirety of the network development plan consists of three documents – the scenario framework, the actual network development plan, and the implementation report. All these documents are created in a regular rhythm of two years. The scenario framework and network development plan documents are prepared in a multi-stage process involving various stakeholders.
Green hydrogen is a renewable gas and is produced by electrolysis in so-called power-to-gas plants. For this purpose, water is split into hydrogen and oxygen using electrical energy. If the electrical energy comes largely from renewable sources, the hydrogen is called green.
In early 2020, the German transmission system operators (TSOs) presented a vision for an initial Germany-wide hydrogen infrastructure in the form of a network map for the first time. This lists lines with a total length of about 5,900 km. This visionary pipeline system is based to over 90 percent on the existing natural gas network and is being continuously developed. A large part of the future consumption focal points of hydrogen in the industrial, mobility and heat sectors, as well as numerous underground storage facilities, can be connected via the pipeline system to the focal points of occurrence.
