(Kassel, Germany) – Gascade Gastransport GmbH, the long-distance pipeline operator, has announced the start of the initial filling of the first section of the German hydrogen core network as part of the "Flow – making hydrogen happen" program. The company stated that by the end of 2025, approximately 400 kilometers of an existing natural gas pipeline with a diameter of 1,4 meters will be gradually converted to transport hydrogen.
The "Flow" cooperation project will create a pipeline system for green hydrogen starting in 2025. Storage facilities will complement it. © Gascade Gastransport GmbH
The "Flow" pipelines, with a total length of 1.100 kilometers, are intended to connect nine industrial sites from the city of Lubmin in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania to Stuttgart in the south. The starting point is the existing gas infrastructure. The expansion to Baden-Württemberg is scheduled to be completed in 2028. Expansions to neighboring European countries are possible in the future. The program is "a central component of Gascade's strategy to quickly and cost-effectively make existing infrastructure available for the transport of hydrogen," says Managing Director Ulrich Benterbusch. This will create "a substantial part of a north-south highway for hydrogen transport."
Include H2 storage
The initiators include the transmission system operators Gascade Gastransport GmbH, Ontras GmbH, and Terranets BW GmbH. The "associated partners" comprised around two dozen companies from the natural gas and hydrogen sectors, as well as several initiatives and projects.
A year ago, the Oldenburg-based energy supplier EWE AG also announced its participation. The company stated at the time that the EWE storage facility in Rüdersdorf near Berlin could become "an essential component of the hydrogen infrastructure in eastern Germany".
Photo above
Gascade begins converting natural gas pipelines to hydrogen for the hydrogen core network. © Gascade Gastransport GmbH
