German pipeline operator Nowega has started to fill the first 55km stretch of a planned hydrogen pipeline network in western Germany with molecules of H2 as part of commissioning before it can begin operations.
The pipeline, running between Lingen and Bad Bentheim in the state of Lower Saxony, is a part of the “GET H2” project, which had been designated an Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI) by the EU.
GET H2 features a 300MW green hydrogen production facility, “GET H2 Nukleus”, being developed by RWE, which is scheduled for start-up in 2027 and will be the first customer of the pipeline.
Nowega noted in a post on LinkedIn that 95% of the 55km section that is being commissioned consists of natural gas pipelines that have been converted to run on hydrogen.
“With the commissioning, we are providing the first transport capacities for the early phase of the hydrogen economy. The focus on the use of existing pipelines shows how we can implement the entry into the transport of hydrogen in a cost-efficient and rapid manner,” said Nowega’s managing director Frank Heunemann.
The full network also includes links between Bad Bentheim and Emsbüren owned by fellow transmission system operator OGE, and between Bad Bentheim and Legden owned 50% each by OGE and Nowega.
The pipeline will be extended south through Gronau-Epe, where RWE is building a storage facility also due to start up in 2027, in the latter half of this year.
However, for RWE to supply green hydrogen from GET H2 Nukleus to its customer TotalEnergies’ Leuna refinery in eastern Germany by 2030, the GET H2 pipelines will need to connect to the wider German core hydrogen network.
