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Thoughtful employee at a compressor station
Production of hydrogen by wind turbines
Thoughtful employee at a compressor station

Energy transition
with hydrogen

A hydrogen network
for the energy supply of the future

Hydrogen produced on a climate-neutral basis is a central part of the energy transition and future supply security. That is why we are pressing rapidly ahead with expanding the infrastructure: As early as 2025, we want to transport large quantities of hydrogen from its production sites to the consumer centres in Germany and to our European neighbours. 

Together with our partners, we are working intensively on the hydrogen market ramp-up. We are contributing our expertise in developing and expanding the core hydrogen network. At the same time, we are applying our know-how and experience to the technical challenges posed by the transformation of the natural gas network into a transport infrastructure for hydrogen.

Flow – making hydrogen happen

With the Flow – making hydrogen happen project, we will create a high-performance transport system for hydrogen as early as 2025. With a capacity of up to 20 GW, we can transport the energy produced offshore and onshore in northern Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania to the south – in other words, to where it is needed.
The gradual expansion of the pipeline, which can be used in a non-discriminatory manner, will largely be achieved by converting existing infrastructure. The hydrogen pipeline will run through the eastern German states to Hesse and on to the industrial centres in Baden-Württemberg. In addition to distribution to domestic German customers, connections are planned to several neighbouring countries, including to the Czech and Polish network as well as to France and Austria.

In that way, we will strengthen not only Germany, but also Europe. Flow – making hydrogen happen will be a key component in building an integrated and competitive European hydrogen market. 
The project, which has applied for the status of Project of Common Interest (PCI), is being developed together with the partners ONTRAS Gastransport GmbH and terranets bw GmbH.

Flow – making hydrogen happen

AquaDuctus pipeline with submersible robot

AquaDuctus

AquaDuctus, as an offshore pipeline for green hydrogen from the North Sea, is one of the most promising forward-looking projects. 

The hydrogen, which will be produced directly offshore from renewable electricity via electrolysis, will be transported to the mainland via a pipeline. The pipeline is intended to transport up to 20 gigawatts of hydrogen from the North Sea. On the mainland, the quantities will flow into the downstream onshore hydrogen network for distribution in the domestic German and European hydrogen markets.

In stage one, AquaDuctus will connect the hydrogen wind farm SEN-1 over a length of around 200 km with Wilhelmshaven and lead onshore over around 100 km to the German-Dutch border. In stage two, the pipeline will be extended by a further 200 km so that is connects with more remote hydrogen wind farm sites in zones 4/5 (EEZ). In addition, the project is to be connected with neighbouring offshore pipelines from Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Belgium and the United Kingdom. Both stages could be completed as soon as 2030. AquaDuctus will thus form the nucleus of a new hydrogen network in the North Sea, which can make a major contribution to a European internal hydrogen market.

The project, which has received both PCI and IPCEI status, is being developed jointly with the Belgian network operator Fluxys.

The project, which has a good chance of being funded under the European IPCEI procedure, is being developed jointly with the Belgian network operator Fluxys.

Hydrogen Infrastructure in the North Sea – AquaDuctus

Aquaductus

Interconnector Bornholm-Lubmin (IBL)

The planned 140-km-long cross-border pipeline from Bornholm in Denmark to Lubmin in Germany will connect the large-scale hydrogen production on Bornholm with large demand centres in Germany and Central Europe. The German-Danish cooperation project entails building the first hydrogen pipeline in the Baltic and an application for PCI (Project of Common Interest) status has been submitted to the EU. At the same time, it makes a significant contribution to the creation of an EU-wide hydrogen network that will enable hydrogen transport for a host of network users. 

A link to the Baltic Sea Hydrogen Collector is possible. The Interconnector Bornholm-Lubmin is scheduled to go into operation in 2029. The 42-inch pipeline is expected to be transport more than 4 GW by 2030 and, at the same time, enable additional capacity of up to 10 GW – a catalyst for developing further offshore wind energy in the region.

Core hydrogen network

To ensure a swift ramp-up of the hydrogen market, legislators have commissioned the transmission system operators to develop a Germany-wide core H2 network that is efficient, can be implemented quickly and be expanded. The aim is to connect the main hydrogen production sites and import points with the hydrogen consumption centres and storage facilities. The GASCADE projects Flow – making hydrogen happen and AquaDuctus, which are both part of the core network, are making a major contribution to creating these connections. In addition, GASCADE is also involved in the core hydrogen network with other new development projects that are of vital importance primarily for the east-west connection within Germany and for connecting potential H2 terminals. 

In October 2024, the Federal Network Agency approved the hydrogen core network. 

Hydrogen core network of FNB Gas e.V.

Map of the European Hydrogen Backbone

European Hydrogen Backbone

GASCADE is a member of the European Hydrogen Backbone (EHB), an initiative consisting of 33 transmission system operators who are jointly committed to the development of an integrated, European hydrogen network. The aim of the collaboration is to drive forward decarbonisation in the European Union, speed up the market ramp-up for hydrogen and gain insights across national borders that are valuable and point the way ahead for politics and the economy. 

The first joint study by the EHB was published in April 2020 and offered insights into the status quo of existing hydrogen projects and into future market developments. 

Particularly helpful as guidance in the study was the modelling carried out on the CAPEX and OPEX for repurposing existing network and for building new relevant infrastructure that provides an insight into the financial design of a future hydrogen economy.

In November 2023, the EHB initiative published its updated implementation roadmap, which presents an update of the existing cross-border hydrogen projects and also includes the costs incurred, which have been adjusted to the changed market environment. This report highlights a set of 40 specific projects managed by the EHB members. These projects encompass 31,500 kilometres of hydrogen pipelines and are expected to be commissioned before 2030. In addition, the TSOs are jointly their existing experience in the field of gas network operation and are working to ensure that the EHB is not just a

vision but a tangible reality that will support and accelerate the European energy

transition. 

The European Hydrogen Backbone (EHB) initiative

Logo of the H2 Global Foundation

H2Global Foundation

The H2Global Foundation, in which GASCADE is involved as a donor, is committed to research and project development in the field of green hydrogen. H2Global acts globally and networks companies that have dedicated themselves to the energy transition. 

In addition, H2Global provides various publications based on the latest information straight from the energy market and affiliated sectors. 

The aim of the Foundation’s work is to support compliance with the ambitious European climate goals. Cross-industry collaboration is essential in order to minimise economic risks and drive forward climate-friendly measures.

 H2Global Foundation

Hydrogen potential
in the northern Baltic Sea region

Europe’s aims to be climate-neutral by 2050. For that to be achieved, hydrogen will play an important role. But where will the hydrogen come from? That is currently being discussed at great length. What is certain is that Germany will be reliant on large quantities of imported hydrogen in the first few years of the hydrogen ramp-up. Studies expect the figure to be 50 to 70 per cent of demand.

The study “Potential for a Baltic Hydrogen Offshore Backbone”, which DNV was commissioned to carry out by the infrastructure operator GASCADE, examined the Baltic region and concludes that it holds significant potential for producing cheap, green hydrogen. Finland, in particular, could become an important hydrogen supplier with onshore production of hydrogen and make a significant contribution to the diversification of sources and energy independence in Europe.

The Baltic Sea region is favourable as a stable source not only from a geopolitical point of view: “If we know about such a large and comparatively inexpensive potential right on our doorstep, it would be criminal not to exploit it,” emphasises GASCADE Managing Director Ulrich Benterbusch regarding the need for energy supply security in the emerging hydrogen market. 

Hydrogen production at sea
Study sees great potential

Offshore hydrogen production with the help of wind energy

Hydrogen is a low-carbon source of energy and thus plays an important role in achieving climate goals, decarbonising industry, and also in ensuring supply security. Hydrogen production in the EU needs to be ramped up in order to meet rising demand.

The European community faces complex decisions in this regard: Where should hydrogen be produced: onshore or offshore? Should energy be transported using power cables or hydrogen pipelines? And what are the benefits of an integrated offshore hydrogen network? A new study delivers important answers to these questions.

The study “Specification of a European Offshore Hydrogen Backbone,” which was commissioned from DNV by the infrastructure operators GASCADE and Fluxys, emphasises the significant advantages of an offshore hydrogen backbone in the Baltic and the North Sea. The energy generation potential of offshore wind farms at sea is huge and may even exceed the network’s capacity limits. According to the DNV study, offshore hydrogen production connected by pipeline is cheaper than onshore production.

Because of the lower cost of hydrogen transport compared to electricity transmission and the possibility of large pipelines transporting offshore hydrogen from multiple wind farms, the report assesses offshore hydrogen production to be an attractive option for offshore generation of wind energy, especially when located more than 100 kilometres from the mainland.

Hydrogen market ramp-up in Eastern Germany by 2045

[Translate to Englisch:] Wasserstoffnetz bei technologieoffener Produktion im Szenario Diversifizierung für 2030 (links) und 2045 (rechts)

The existing pipeline infrastructure in Germany’s eastern states and the central location offer enormous potential for developing Eastern Germany into a hydrogen hub for Germany and Europe. That is revealed by a study by the Institute of Energy Economics at the University of Cologne (EWI).

The study examines the development of regional hydrogen balances in Eastern Germany based on the reference years 2030 and 2045 in two scenarios: an electrification scenario and a diversification scenario. It makes clear that a combination of rededication of existing natural gas pipelines and investment in new hydrogen infrastructure is absolutely necessary to transport the hydrogen required in Eastern Germany in the future from the production sites to the consumption centres.

The study was commissioned by GASCADE.

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