(Berlin) - The German transmission system operators (TSOs) have presented their plans for the future supra-regional hydrogen core network. This is “the first stage for a quick and cost-efficient development of the hydrogen network infrastructure in Germany,” which “grows with the market in line with demand and is embedded in the EU internal market,” said the Federal Ministry of Economics in a statement.
Design: The lines shown are around 11.200 kilometers long. The TSOs assume that the hydrogen core network will be smaller after optimization. © FNB Gas eV
The aim is to connect large hydrogen consumption and production regions in Germany, for example industrial centers, storage facilities and power plants, but also to include import corridors. The transmission system operators have taken 309 hydrogen projects into account for the scenario. The feed-in power for hydrogen amounts to 101 gigawatts, of which 87 gigawatts are available for exit power.
Several media outlets reported last week that the lines had a total length of around 11.200 kilometers. However, according to FNB, the current planning status is not yet “the final draft” of the hydrogen core network. The route variants are still being evaluated and optimized. The association assumes that the core network “will be smaller after optimization”.
The federal government is pursuing the goal of a private sector development of the hydrogen core network, which is financed through network fees. In May, the Federal Cabinet approved the draft amendment to the Energy Industry Act (EnWG). This also contains the legal basis for the hydrogen core network (Section 28r). The parliamentary process is expected to be completed in autumn 2023.
BDEW: Avoid undersizing
However, the Federal Association of the Energy and Water Industry (BDEW) had called for “forward-looking network planning”: “Underdimensioning the core network with regard to the line length and/or the transport capacity must be avoided in any case, as this would require costly subsequent reinforcement of the core network would,” says a statement from the lobby association on the draft bill from May. The network should be “dimensioned with an economic sense of proportion, but at the same time also future-proof”.
There are a number of industrial customers, especially in the medium-sized sector, “who cannot switch to electricity or district heating due to extremely high temperature applications, but need hydrogen instead of gas,” such as tire manufacturers, the pharmaceutical industry, the food industry and fertilizer manufacturers. Therefore, in the opinion of the BDEW, when designing the core network, “quantities of hydrogen that are likely to be transported should also be taken into account in addition to the quantities and requirements that have already been secured today”.
Industry should take a stand
Manufacturers and users now have the opportunity to comment on the TSO draft and, for example, to register additional requirements and line infrastructure. As part of the “final modeling” an “optimized core network” should be designed, which will be handed over to the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) for review in autumn 2023.
Operators of distribution networks, hydrogen network operators and pipeline infrastructures have until 28 July Opportunity to comment and report further hydrogen infrastructure for the core network. There is a prepared one for the feedback form on the FNB Gas website.
Countries, associations and other stakeholders also have until 28 July Opportunity to comment. This can be submitted by email (wasserstoffkernnetz@bmwk.bund.de).
The Association of Transmission System Operators Gas eV is an association of twelve supra-regional gas transport companies and, as a lobby, represents their positions towards politicians and the public. The headquarters of the association is Berlin.
A PDF (28 pages) for “Planning status of the hydrogen core network” gives a detailed overview of the scenarios and modeling.
Photos
The transmission system operators present plans for the future hydrogen core network. © FNB Gas eV
