EnBW to Invest $1.1 Billion in Expanding Germany’s Hydrogen Network, Including Conversion of 155-Mile SEL Gas Pipeline
By Mary Holcomb, Digital Editor
(P&GJ) — EnBW has committed to investing around one billion euros ($1.1 billion) in the establishment and expansion of Germany’s national hydrogen core network, which is planned to be completed by 2032.
This network is set to become a critical component of the future European Hydrogen Backbone (EHB), playing a key role in the country’s energy transition.
The hydrogen core network will supply hydrogen to major industrial centers, power plants, and generation facilities across Germany. It will also open transnational corridors for hydrogen imports, further integrating the country into a broader European hydrogen infrastructure.
“The hydrogen core network represents the first step into the hydrogen economy of the future, establishing the basis for the complete decarbonization of the German economy and the achievement of climate targets,” Dirk Güsewell, EnBW’s board member for system critical infrastructure, said.
EnBW is fully supporting this groundbreaking initiative, with plans to invest a total of around 40 billion euros ($43 billion) by 2030 in various energy transition projects.
As part of a joint application by German transmission system operators, EnBW’s subsidiary terranets bw, along with VNG/ONTRAS Gastransport, has submitted detailed pipeline project proposals to the Federal Network Agency for approval. These projects include both the conversion of existing pipelines and the construction of new connections to integrate regions such as Baden-Württemberg, and large parts of eastern and central Germany into the hydrogen core network.
Specifically, EnBW has committed to integrating the South German Natural Gas Pipeline (SEL), currently under construction, into the hydrogen network. The SEL pipeline, which spans 250 km (155 miles), will initially supply natural gas but will be converted to hydrogen, connecting consumers in Baden-Württemberg, including hydrogen-ready gas power plants in Heilbronn, Altbach/Deizisau, and Stuttgart-Münster.
Further potential projects include transport pipelines to Upper Swabia and Lake Constance, as well as a cross-border connection from France to the Breisgau region. The VNG subsidiary ONTRAS will also develop hydrogen transport pipelines in central Germany, connecting the Leipzig region with the central German chemical triangle, industrial centers in Saxony-Anhalt and Lower Saxony, and the Berlin region. Other potential projects include connections south of Berlin to Poland and south of Rostock to Glasewitz.
The Federal Network Agency is expected to consult on the core network application submitted by the transmission system operators in the coming weeks. The hydrogen transport infrastructure will be gradually developed based on demand as part of the integrated gas/H₂ network development planning process.
Related News
Related News
- Williams' $1 Billion Gas Pipeline Blocked by U.S. Appeals Court, Derailing Five-State Project
- Texas Waha Hub Gas Prices Plunge to Record Lows, Hit Negative Territory
- Williams Begins Louisiana Pipeline Construction Despite Ongoing Legal Dispute with Energy Transfer
- U.S. Buys Nearly 5 Million Barrels of Oil for Emergency Stockpile
- U.S. Appeals Court Strikes Down Controversial Biden Pipeline Safety Rules
- Report: Houston Region Poised to Become a Global Clean Hydrogen Hub
- Exxon Mobil to Start Gas Reserve Seismic Surveys in Greece
- LaPorte, Texas, Issues Shelter in Place After Altivia Plant Leaks Toxic Gas
- Texas Startup Endeavors Again to Build First Major U.S. Oil Refinery Since 1977
- Second Gas Pipeline Rupture in Texas’ Reeves County Raises Environmental Concerns
Comments